Tears of the Phoenix
by Sorceress Fantasia
Summary: Set in the land of the black soil, Yugi is a servant in Pharaoh Atemu's palace and also, high priest Seto's secret lover. Hidden by his lover, Yugi has never seen the pharaoh or experienced palace intrigues. However, all that is about to change...
1. Chapter I

Title: Tears of the Phoenix part 1

Author: Sorceress Fantasia

Pairings: S/Y, eventual **YYxY**, **SxJ **and maybe some others

Warnings: Angst, romance, sap, some OOC-ness, probably some historical incorrectness

Disclaimer: If my desire to own YGO were proportionate to the size of the world's deserts, there would have been at least two more Sahara Deserts. Since that has not happened, I must say that I do not own YGO and any of its characters.

Note: I really have no idea how palace life in ancient Egypt was like, so I'm just making up everything in this fic. Erm, just take it as some artistic license. The searches I did didn't really turn up any good information…

Intro: Set in the land of the black soil, Yugi is a servant in Pharaoh Atemu's palace and also, high priest Seto's secret lover. Hidden by his lover, Yugi has never seen the pharaoh or experienced palace intrigues. However, that is about to change…

* * *

Yugi peeked around his surroundings. Willing his pounding heart to calm down, he reminded himself that this was the most isolated part of the entire palace, and that he had never been discovered before. And it had been quite a long while already, since he first started to sneak away from his job to come here. Mentally, he counted the months.

Almost like a stroke of magic, a sprinkle of stardust, he remembered. Seven magical months, indeed. Had it been so long since he'd become a servant in the palace, after being rescued from the rotting prison cells for stealing merely a loaf of bread to quench his days of hunger?

He nearly shivered; the jail cells were in dire need of a revamp. Or a big clean up, at least. But getting caught had certainly turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Although the experience of sitting in the jail cell and waiting for the executioners to come chop off his hands for stealing wasn't all that great, what followed was definitely well worth the little bit of discomfort. Who would have thought that the high priest of Kemet would visit the cells that day to punish another prisoner? And who would have imagined their eyes would meet, cool, hard cobalt locking with sweet amethyst?

It was just infatuation at first on the other's part, Yugi was sure. After all, it wasn't the first time someone had been captivated by his peculiar eye colour. He always knew something bad was going to come his way every time someone zoomed in onto his eyes, praising the magnificent shade and marvel at the sparkle that glinted like a hint of mischief. Whenever that happened, Yugi made it his instincts to immediately hightail out of the place because whoever the other person was, be it a man or a woman, it just meant that they wanted him like a wolf wanting a piece of raw meet.

So when the high priest's eyes sought his, Yugi had been wary of the man at first; something, he thought, wasn't quite right. But somehow, the man managed to thwart his wariness easily with just a glance. The high priest was so stunningly handsome –the rumours on the streets really didn't do him justice- that Yugi could hardly tear his eyes away.

The dignified air he exuded complemented his tall stature like a rainbow in the blue sky, giving him a noble aura that Yugi easily felt. But that wasn't it. Tempting broad chest, sharp nose, and eyes that reflected an inner tranquility despite the chaotic surroundings… it was like a dream come true. But the real icing on the cake was the man's arms that looked strong enough to lead him out of the filthy, hectic world outside of the stiff palace gates.

His intense staring was probably what caused the high priest to turn his head and see him for the first time. When their eyes locked, Yugi could swear there was a little magic in the air that caused him to feel all light headed and weaken his knees.

Seto probably felt the same.

Yugi grinned at the name. He loved how it sounded, and how it seemed to roll off his tongue like a sweet treat. Most of all though, he loved the owner of that name.

Seto was truly his saviour. Not only did he rescue him from the prison (that was easily done by exercising a bit of his powers and scaring the guards; after all, he was the high priest of Kemet), but he also gave him a place to stay and a job to do. Granted, it was menial labour, but there was nothing else he could do. Having lived on the streets all his life, all he ever knew was thievery, escaping and the occasional puppy eye look that made almost anyone lower their defenses. So when Seto had offered him food on the table and a roof over his head, he agreed immediately.

The only thing he wasn't exactly thrilled about was where he really worked.

With the size of the palace grounds, one would be lucky if one could see the whole place once through. With his luck though, Yugi had never left the east wing. And just who made the east wing the most boring district of the palace anyway? Nothing ever happened there, simply because it wasn't where the pharaoh resided and worked in. Yugi swore the entire world revolved around the pharaoh. As a result, all the hustle and bustle happened in the north wing and part of the west wing. Clothes were washed there, food was cooked there, work was done there… Even the royal garden, the only part of the palace that spanned across all four wings, was only lively in the north and western parts. The east wing was just another fancy name for servant's quarters, and it was the smallest out of the many ones they had in the palace. Most of Yugi's job just consisted of sweeping the floor, making the bed and feeding the few animals the servants were allowed to rear.

Still, he had a sneaking suspicion that Seto had something to do with his workload.

In fact, the only reason why he was assigned to the east wing was because of the overprotective man who wanted him to have nothing to do with snobbish concubines, haughty servants, evil councils and most of all, an annoying pharaoh. Sometimes, Yugi felt like he was a little secret Seto had fenced up in the east wing that no one was allowed to know about. But really, he was hardly in a position to argue about that. He was happy with his life, Seto was happy with it, and that was all there was to it.

Seriously though, Yugi thought that he was much more fortunate than the other street kids who were still struggling with life outside of the palace, wondering if their fellow street kids would wake up with them or die in their sleep, and if they would get any food that day. With a lot of help from Seto, Yugi had finally passed that stage of his life and was guaranteed food and rest everyday. What was more, he had Seto's love. After saving him from the prison cells, Seto dropped by occasionally – and secretly – to see him so as to make sure that he was treated fine. Eventually, the high priest admitted that he had done so with the intention of just seeing Yugi and that he loved him. Yugi was so touched he found no reason to deny his love as well.

And to think the only thought in his mind before all that was if that loaf of bread in his hands would be enough to feed his growling stomach…

Putting those thoughts aside, Yugi continued running across the east wing garden. If he didn't hurry, he'd be late and Seto would gripe about it. Offhandedly, but still gripe about it. He ran faster, hoping that no one would see him.

But it wasn't the first time he was doing this! Surely, he wasn't going to get discovered!

Now, if only he could get his pounding heart to believe that…

* * *

Arriving in the part of the royal gardens located in the east wing, Yugi was relieved when he saw no one was there yet. Good, that meant he wasn't late. While he always had too much time at hand, Seto was always pressed for time. If the gods did not have a message for him, the pharaoh would have a job for him all of a sudden. Or there'd be an argument between the council members, and he'd have to step and arbitrate. Just why was Seto so burdened with work?

Yugi sighed. The man needed to take a break sometimes, really. He was working so hard Yugi was afraid he'd fall ill, and with himself stuck in the east wing, there was no way he could take care of him. Besides, he wanted to spend a little more time with Seto!

Suddenly, he felt himself lifted into the air by a pair of strong arms. Memories kicked in, as did his street instincts. His initial reaction was to scream and slip away as fast as he could, but the warmth the body behind emitted calmed him down almost immediately. There was only one place where he could feel such security and affection.

"Seto!"

True enough, there was the high priest holding him tightly in his arms, a faint smile dancing on his lips.

"Yugi," he returned, retreating into the shade quickly with the little one still secure in his arms. Then, he carefully sat down on the ground, shifting Yugi into his laps.

"I've missed you," Yugi whispered, snuggling into Seto's broad chest and grasping a little of his blue linen shirt in his fist. "Work has been incredibly boring these last couple of days, and the other servants say I haven't been paying attention. Well, I just couldn't help it! Not when I was so looking forward to seeing you today!"

Seto chuckled, ruffling Yugi's bangs almost playfully. He stopped when his hand was swatted away with mock annoyance.

"You should pay more attention when you're working, little one. What if you injured yourself because you were spacing out? What would the others say?"

"Well, probably 'Yugi's being Yugi again,'" the younger teen chimed, mimicking a reprimanding and yet resigned tone of the other servants. He grinned. "I'm known for being clumsy /and/ having a wild imagination."

Seto smirked, shaking his head. Leaning into a tree trunk, he tightened his embrace. For a while, they just sat there, feeling the warmth of the other's body and the light breeze whispering against their skin. It was this moment in time, this stilled second, that the two could feel the weariness of their work fade away and just bask in the other's glory.

Yugi snuggled closer.

* * *

The high priest looked into the sky. Just a while more, and the sun would be dipping into the horizon. He sighed; it was almost time and he had to leave. The pharaoh was probably already wondering where he had disappeared to.

But it wasn't too bad. At least he managed to scrap a few moments with Yugi today, and even to just sit down for a while and rest. Looking down at the one he adored still snuggled in his arms, he smiled. All that work he did was worth it if he could just visit Yugi frequently.

He still remembered how they had met. It was just a prison cell, a stolen glance, a static moment, and he was in love. Never had he felt such emotions warring in his body and mind the instant his eyes fell on the angelic being staring back at him, his radiance intact despite the ugly surroundings. How he wished he could just bring Yugi to his side, but it was just not to be such an easy task. Before he figured out how to, Yugi would have to stay in the east wing where it was safe.

Suddenly, Yugi spoke.

"Have you been very busy the last few days? I almost thought we wouldn't be able to meet at all this week."

Seto sighed softly, running a careless hand through his mob of brown hair. He had almost thought so too, when he found his work getting piled up higher and higher with each day. The work was getting intolerable; he usually managed to finish his assigned duties and still meet Yugi at least twice a week, but recently, he was getting so bogged down it wasn't even funny anymore. Keeping a hand wounded around Yugi's waist, he pulled him closer.

"That would be an understatement, little one. The pharaoh has been very restless recently, and the few of us has had to convince him to attend court once or twice. I think he's in a bad mood, but I've no idea why. Isis thinks that he's lonely and tired, but he's probably just bored." Seto shrugged, as if it would ease away the fatigue that had accompanied him the last few days. Sometimes, he felt like flaying the skins of those people who thought he had an easy job in the palace. Easy? Like hell! Politics was one thing, and palace intrigues was another. But he could deal with those. The worst was when the pharaoh Atemu threw up a temper. Woe betided those who stood in his way when that happened.

Suddenly, he felt a gentle hand massaging his temples and the exhaustion of the day seemed to just fade away like leaves in the wind.

"Aa, thank you, Yugi."

"Of course."

When Yugi threw him a smile, Seto felt all that much better. It was strange how the little one could revitalize his energy with just a heartfelt smile, one that easily put the ones the concubines plastered on to shame. He frowned when he remembered just how some of those women, and some of those who were still a member of the harem, threw themselves at Atemu's feet like little rag dolls with no sense of decency. They practically worshipped the ground Atemu walked upon, not just as pious believers of the living embodiment of Horus, but also as women who craved for the man's affections like stranded travelers in a desert yearning for water, as fickle as they could be.

But sometimes, he could hardly blame any of them. Those young women had been brought into the palace to serve Atemu after he became pharaoh two years ago, some probably against their will. And if that wasn't bad enough, he knew for a fact that most of them had never even seen hide or hind of the young pharaoh. Once they had been brought in, they were all housed in a section in the west wing as a member of Atemu's harem, doomed to live out a lonely life like a widow. The few lucky ones who had been made concubines were made only because the council pressed Atemu to do so, but they were still just for show only. None of them had ever seen the insides of Atemu's bedroom after their first night.

Sometimes, Seto wondered if Atemu was asexual.

"Seto? What are you thinking about?"

Yugi's soft voice knocked him out of his trance.

"Hmm? Nothing much, just the way the palace works."

"And how does it work? You've never told me before," Yugi asked.

"Well, it's a dark place where people fight for the pharaoh's favour with whatever methods they have available. You'd really get to see the ugly side of human nature when you're working there. That's why I don't ever want you to be near the north and west wings. Those people there would just taint your innocent soul, and I'd probably be very upset."

It was frustratingly irritating how Seto could turn their conversation into yet another speech on his reasons for keeping him hidden in the east wing. Yugi pouted mentally.

"But if I work there, I'd see you a lot more! As it is, we can only meet up twice a week. And why can't I just be your personal servant or something? Why am I kept a secret here?"

Seto sighed. "If anyone discovers our relationship, you'd probably find yourself in quite a bit of danger. I do have some enemies in the court. Besides, I don't want any gossip around. I already have enough to deal with. I promise you, Yugi, that I will marry you as soon as I can get the pharaoh to agree. He's just being a brat lately. And to answer your other question, I can't let you be my personal servant for two reasons. Firstly, I already have a personal servant and I can't turn him away since the pharaoh bestowed him upon me. You just cannot refuse a gift from the pharaoh, even if it is a bag of poisonous snakes. And secondly, I think I'd go crazy with you so close to me constantly and yet" – he smirked mischievously – "not able to kiss you."

As he expected, Yugi turned red. Not that that wasn't a good thing; he loved to see Yugi blushing.

Taking his chance, he swooped in for a chaste kiss, pressing his lips against his young lover's gently and waited for his cue.

Yugi was quickly turning into a happy puddle of mush in Seto's arms. The kiss, though innocent, sent bolts of thrilling electrifying pleasure through his body and he moaned. Opening his mouth, he hummed softly, coaxing his lover to deepen their kiss. When Seto pushed his tongue into his warmth cavern, Yugi could only moan his satisfaction. It tasted so sweet.

They parted after a moment, gasping for air. Despite that, they both sported wide grins on their faces that almost seemed goofy.

"I love you, Seto."

"And I you, Yugi."

They kissed again.

* * *

The high priest was flaming annoyed right now. Whatever happened to his power as a messenger of god, as a member of the pharaoh's court? Oh yes. Anyone and everyone would be reduced to practically nothing when said king was not happy. Like he was now.

"Seto?"

"Yes, your majesty?" he obligingly replied like a docile servant. He snorted at his own tone. Docile? How insulting. And to think they were cousins… just because his father had been born after Atemu's father, he became the high priest instead of the pharaoh. If he had been luckier, he'd probably have an easier time with Atemu's temper because then, he'd be the ruler instead. And then his little cousin's flaring temper could go to hell for all he cared.

Well, not exactly. If one ignored Atemu's notoriously irritating temper tantrums, he was actually a rather interesting person to be around with. And he did owe him for his position as the high priest of Kemet, since he was the one who appointed him.

Seriously though, if he were the pharaoh, he'd probably have married Yugi already.

But since he wasn't, Seto had to rein in his own temper and hope for an opportunity to arrive soon that would allow him to convince Atemu to let him marry Yugi. And Ra knew when that day would come. Atemu's temper and mood swings were one thing; Yugi's status as a servant was yet another stumbling block in their relationship. If Atemu was unhappy with it, he could easily send Yugi out of the palace or worse yet, send him to the executioner's table. Yugi was, after all, a thief once. If he hadn't visited the prison that day, Yugi would probably already have lost a limb or two. With all that added to the fact that Yugi and the pharaoh looked startling alike, everything just seemed like a recipe for disaster.

For the umpteenth time, Seto thanked the gods that the similarities between Yugi and Atemu ended with their outward appearance. He did not think he would survive if he had to deal with another Atemu.

"Seto?"

Cursing himself mentally, the high priest forced his mind to return to the present.

"I'm sorry, your majesty. I was just… thinking about the duties I have to perform later in the evening."

The young king peered around his room. Seeing no one around, he slumped into his seat and sighed.

"Really, there's no one around. Just call me Atemu, dear cousin. And sit down. I hate it when you're towering over me like some giant. Do you have to rub it in my face that I'm not exactly on the higher end in terms of height?" he muttered, crossing his arms in mock anger.

Seto rolled his eyes.

"I didn't even say anything. But I guess that's just your style. Nothing equals everything bad. You could probably twist everything I say and do and take it as an insult. Not to mention what I did not say or do," he uttered in response, grabbing a chair for himself. If anyone had been in the room, they would have been shocked at his insolence, but Seto knew that it was fine with the king. It was after all, first and foremost, a conversation between two cousins, rather than one between a king and his subject. Suddenly, he felt like he had been thrown back in time, back to when Atemu was just the prince and he was only a priest-in-training. Back then, life was a lot simpler, and Atemu was a lot more fun to be around. It seemed that the tempers were complimentary gifts with the crown and throne.

Atemu shrugged. "So what was on your mind? I can hardly remember a time when you lost track of our conversation."

"Nothing much. Just wondering what's up with you. You've been a pain lately," Seto pointed out rather snidely. "And don't even try to talk your way out of this. You've been a pain in the neck and you know it."

"So I have."

"It's not about the council, since they've been the ever-docile servants lately. It's not about the country either, because it's been at peace; no one's staging a revolt or anything, and the gods are pleased with our offerings so there hasn't been any floods or droughts. It can't be the concubines either, because you haven't seen them in ages. In fact, you've probably forgotten how they look like already. So what else is there?"

"…I've no idea," Atemu admitted after a moment of silence. "Seriously! It's just that… I can't help but feel restless. I think there's something calling for me, beckoning for me to go to it, but I don't know what. Maybe I should get out of the palace to take a look."

Seto stiffened.

"Don't even think about it! You'd send the entire palace into an uproar!"

"Well, you'd be around to handle the situation."

"Yes, me. Your poor, overworked cousin," he sneered. "And what's there to look at outside the palace anyway? There's nothing out there but poverty and slaves."

Atemu narrowed his eyes. "What do you know? You've never been out there either."

Seto cursed mentally. Yugi had shared his stories with him, but he couldn't tell Atemu of his existence. Not yet.

"Well, it's a given. Everyone knows that," he replied in a steady voice. One thing he really liked about himself was the fact he never appeared nervous.

Atemu raised his brows.

"Really?"

"Really. Don't you even think of trying to leave the palace, even for a second."

"Then you'd have to deal with me being a pain in the neck more," the pharaoh countered, inwardly smirking at the sight of Seto paling slightly. It was so fun to tease his cousin. "I mean, if I can't go out and find what is bothering me, I'd continue to be temperamental. On the other hand, if you'd just handle the palace for me for one short day, I just might find the thing I'm looking for and everything would be fine again."

Seto rolled his eyes. "Nice try, but no. I'm not suicidal enough to let you out of the palace and let the council and the other priests home in on me like hawks going for their prey," he replied dryly. "Besides, I think I know what you need. You just need to get laid."

Atemu gaped at his cousin, his jaws slack and eyes wide. Did he just say what he thought he said?

"Yes, I said that. You just need to get laid."

He had no idea he had spoken aloud.

"See, you've not been with your concubines for months, and the ones still in your harem are gathering dust like dolls on the rack already. You're probably restless because you need a little downtime with someone," Seto reasoned, suddenly feeling a lot more intelligent than he had in weeks. The realization that dawned on him all of a sudden sounded so logical in his mind.

"I don't need you to tell me when I should get laid, Seto," Atemu answered indignantly. If he weren't the noble pharaoh of Kemet, he would have pouted long ago. "Besides, I'm not interested in any of my concubines. They're all so boring to be around. I mean… I can't discuss anything intelligent with them because they're apparently not equipped with a brain. Not to mention the fact that they haven't tried to do anything with me that does not consist of a bed and a bath. Just because I'm the pharaoh and a man doesn't mean that all I think about with them is sex."

The high priest crossed his arms, leaning against his seat, and gazing at his cousin through narrowed eyes. Was Atemu so oblivious to the girls' desperation?

"What they're trying to do, Atemu, is to use sex to lure you in and bind you to them, hopefully. They just want you to like them and bring them out of the hell they're living in now. I don't suppose you can understand what they're thinking of. Despite what others tell you, their status as a member of your harem isn't that glorious. Imagine what you'd feel if you were in their position. They're probably just lonely."

"Maybe, but it still doesn't change the fact that they're boring people."

"You want new ones then?"

"No… Maybe," Atemu looked away, his eyes taking on a distant glaze, "I just want someone to understand me. A friend and a lover. And this person is definitely not in the palace right now."

The cousins sighed, one worrying for his sanity and the other itching for a way to leave the palace.

* * *

Yugi tightened his grip on the wooden bucket of barley, mentally cursing its weight. When Neferet had suggested that he feed the horses that the couple of them reared as pets, he had forgotten about how heavy the feed was and had therefore asked for no help. Then again, everyone was busy with their work. He seemed to be the only one with nothing to do. Sometimes, Yugi wondered just how much power Seto had exercised over the other servants.

But it was just as well. He enjoyed spending time with the horses anyway, and they were probably hungry by now. But then again, Xanthus and Incitatus (1) had bottomless pits for stomachs and there never seemed to be a moment that they weren't hungry.

Turning around a corner that led to the stables that the other servants had built for their pet horses, he was shocked to hear an angry neigh and a stomp of hooves. He hurried over, only to see someone trying to pull Xanthus out of his stable with a crude rope. But he wasn't having much luck there, since the horse was eluding the ring of rope like a whisper of swift wind. Incitatus stomped his hooves on the wooden gate, attempting to get a bite of the would-be horse thief.

Dropping the horse feed, he shouted, "Hey, stop that! You can't take Xanthus away!"

The person guilty of the act dropped the rope in surprise and turned around. Time seemed to freeze for that one moment as the two took in the other.

Yugi nearly gasped. They looked so alike it was kind of freaky! Yet, there was a touch of subtle differences that made them easily distinguishable. The other boy's wild crown of golden bangs, raven and red locks had bolts of angry thunder running through them, allowing him to look much older and powerful than Yugi did. He also had a stronger built that was clearly apparent in his taut body, and there was no doubt muscles rippling underneath that bronze complexion. But the most obvious difference between them was the boy's stunningly fiery pools of crimson that spelt nothing but authority. Yugi was sure those eyes could draw people to him without a word much like how moths were attracted to fire. Death would be willingly accepted for a glance of those blazing orbs.

He was beautiful. Yugi could already feel a blush creeping onto his cheeks.

They would have stood there forever, just admiring the other's perfection, had Xanthus not decided to butt in. With one swift move, he lunged forward for a bite. Luckily, the man jumped away just in the nick of time to avoid the angry horse, landing rather harshly on his bottom. If horses could laugh, Xanthus and Incitatus were probably doing plenty with their incessant neighing.

Quickly, Yugi ran over, the bucket abandoned.

"Hey, are you alright?"

The other, a bit dazed, answered, "Yeah, I think. These are some temperamental horses."

"Well, anyone would be temperamental if someone was trying to kidnap them…" Yugi trailed off as-a-matter-of-factly. "Who are you anyway?"

"Me? Just someone trying to get a horse…" the other boy answered, getting up. Brushing off a few errant strands of bangs hanging in his face, he asked, "Aren't you afraid of me? I /was/ trying to steal something."

Yugi scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Trying being an operative word. You've never done this before; it's quite easy to tell you're really inexperienced, from the way you were using the rope. Add that to the fact that this is the palace and there're guards everywhere, you're probably from the palace too, since you haven't been caught yet…"

At least the other had the decency to blush.

"You're really observant, aren't you?"

"Well, when you've lived outside the palace like I have, you have to be."

Suddenly, the other's eyes lit up even more.

"You've been outside the palace before?"

"I was living on the streets until about seven months ago," Yugi answered. "Have you never been out there? Were you born in the palace?"

"Yeah, pretty much. I've been cooped up here all my life." He shrugged offhandedly, but it was easy to tell he was rather bothered by the fact.

Yugi cocked his head. This boy had most certainly never seen the world outside, if he actually wanted to leave the palace. If palace life was heaven, life outside was most definitely hell, especially for orphans. He was going to set this person straight and get that silly idea of exploring the world outside out of his head!

"What's your name? Maybe we can talk about this. I'm Yugi, by the way, a servant in the palace."

The other hesitated for a while, seemingly accessing Yugi's trustworthiness. Finally, he replied, "You can call me Yami."

-tbc-

(1): Xanthus and Incitatus are the names of two famous horses in history. The former is the horse of Achilles, the legendary Greek hero. The latter was made a priest and consul by the Roman Emperor Caligula about A.D. 40.


	2. Chapter II

Title: Tears of the Phoenix part 2

Author: Sorceress Fantasia

Pairings: S/Y, **eventual YYxY**, SxJ and maybe some others

Warnings: Angst, romance, sap, some OOC-ness, probably some historical incorrectness

Disclaimer: If my desire to own YGO were proportionate to the size of the world's deserts, there would have been at least two more Sahara Deserts. Since that has not happened, I must say that I do not own YGO and any of its characters.

Note: I really have no idea how palace life in ancient Egypt was like, so I'm just making up everything in this fic. Erm, just take it as some artistic license. The searches I did didn't really turn up any good information… Oh, and since Yami is pharaoh, expect haughtiness.

Intro: Set in the land of the black soil, Yugi is a servant in Pharaoh Atemu's palace and also, high priest Seto's secret lover. Hidden by his lover, Yugi has never seen the pharaoh or experienced palace intrigues. However, all that is about to change…

* * *

Atemu appraised himself in the mirror, occasionally twisting sideways to get a better view. Seriously, even though he was dressed in a servant's attire (albeit a higher status one), he thought he didn't look half bad. In fact, he was sure that if he were to go out of his room at the moment, the servant girls who could not recognize him as the pharaoh would probably swoon over the latest addition to the male servants. Satisfied, Atemu adjusted his shirt once more and started to plan an escape route out of the palace.

Where would Seto be at this time of the day? At the temples, probably, listening to what the gods had to say. So that would mean that he had to avoid that area, which was in the west wing. Of course, he had to avoid the north wing as well, since that was where court was held everyday and all his subjects would no doubt still be lingering at. The south wing was the most heavily guarded area after the north wing, since that was where the main gates to the palace were located, so he would be an idiot going there too. By default, Atemu knew he was headed for the east wing. And he remembered that just a few months ago, some servants had requested for permission to rear a few animals in their quarters in the east wing. The horses would probably prove to be a good escape tool…

* * *

…Or maybe not. After dodging the numerous patrolling guards (he praised himself for familiarizing himself with their patrolling stations and routes before attempting his grand escape), simpering subjects and nagging high priests, it annoyed Atemu to find out that two wild beasts were his biggest problems. He glared at the two horses, and they seemed to take delight in glaring back. In fact, he was pretty sure that black horse was even gloating at him.

"Be thankful I need you to help me escape, or you'd be halfway to the slaughter room by now," he grumbled under his breath, ire growing when the white horse neighed in what he thought was a snort.

The pharaoh reined in his temper, and quickly looked for a way to get the horses out of the stable. But the problem was: he had no idea where to start. When was the last time he had been on a horse anyway? Probably some six years ago, when he had still been the crown prince and just looking for a way to kill time more effectively than terrorizing his cousin. And if memory served him right, he had been on the horse for all but a few minutes, all the while led around the area near the stables by a fearful stable boy. Once his subjects thought it was enough, they quickly carried him off the animal's back and didn't stop trembling until his feet were stuck firmly on the ground. They were probably scared to death by the idea of the crown prince falling off the horse and breaking his neck or something. Not that Atemu could blame them. Everyone had been devastated when his younger brother had met his end that way.

But he was the pharaoh now! He was a god living amongst mortals, blessed by the gods above to enjoy a fulfilling life of nobility and pleasure. So there was no fear of him dying so easily, he reasoned. Quickly, he set upon his task of getting a horse out.

Spying a rope nearby, Atemu decided he could make a loop with the rope and then sliding it around the horse's neck. When he succeeded, he would be able to lead the horse out of its stable. It was a simple thing to do. Very simple, in fact.

Finishing up with the loop, he eyed the two horses. The white one looked a lot tamer and… not as large. Atemu was almost tempted to say 'intimidating' when he remembered belatedly that he was the pharaoh and no ruler would be so weak. Or at least admit it out loud. Pushing those thoughts aside, his eyes homed in on the horse he wanted. With the rope in hand, he began to walk towards the stables.

Carefully, he threw the hoop at the white horse, which dodged it rather skillfully with a side step. Atemu tried again, and failed again. Almost agitated by now, he all but hurled the rope at the horses as though it were a whip. That certainly got the black horse's attention, and it took no chances with Atemu, lunging forward to get a bite. On the other hand, the white stallion continued to elude him, occasionally slamming its hooves on the wooden stable.

Suddenly, the pharaoh heard someone yell, "Hey, stop that! You can't take Xanthus away!"

Guilty and caught red-handed, he dropped his rope and spun around. Time seemed to still when he saw who it was trying to stop him.

From the clothes the boy wore, Atemu could tell that he was a servant, but strangely enough, the boy seemed anything but one. His complexion was very fair, almost to the extent of being pale. Those cheeks, however, were flushed in a beautiful shade of red, the same shade as his well-formed cherry lips. His eyes were wide, and under the sun, it was easy to tell they were amethyst. Just like jewels. The strangest thing, though, was the boy's hair, which was styled much like his own. Bangs so golden like they had been kissed by Ra, and black locks that slowly gave way to a tinge of red…

It was impolite to stare at someone. After years of schooling in politics and etiquette, this much Atemu knew. But he just could not help but gawk at the servant boy, and wondering why no one in his harem had ever looked this good.

Then he felt something moving beside him, and he quickly ducked to the side, just in time to avoid an angry bite from the white horse. However, he had been so surprised by the sudden attack that he lost his balance and fell quite awkwardly on his behind. Vaguely, he could hear the damn horses laughing at him.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Atemu blinked. When had the boy gotten to his side?

"Yeah, I think. These are some temperamental horses."

"Well, anyone would be temperamental if someone was trying to kidnap them…" the boy trailed off as-a-matter-of-factly. Then he titled his head in the cutest manner Atemu was sure he had no idea how tempting it was to others and asked, "Who are you anyway?"

"Me? Just someone trying to get a horse…" the pharaoh replied, finally getting up. Combing his bangs back in a careless swipe, he frowned and asked, "Aren't you afraid of me? I /was/ trying to steal something."

He recalled the last time he had borrowed something from Seto's room without permission and a servant girl had seen him, she had ran off screaming in the corridors that there was a thief in the high priest's room. It turned out that in her fear, she had not even realized it was the pharaoh who was inside the room, even if he wasn't exactly wearing his usual garb.

To his surprise, the boy only rolled his eyes.

"Trying being an operative word. You've never done this before; it's quite easy to tell you're really inexperienced, from the way you were using the rope. Add that to the fact that this is the palace and there're guards everywhere, you're probably from the palace too, since you haven't been caught yet…"

Atemu felt a hot blush creep up his face, despite his bristled dignity. Surprisingly though, he wasn't really angry with the boy. Rather, Atemu felt a fresh breath of air in his life; no one had ever talked to him like that before, excluding Seto since he was a special case being his only childhood friend and all. Not to mention this boy was rather attractive…

Feeling he had to say something, he blurted, "You're really observant, aren't you?"

"Well, when you've lived outside the palace like I have, you have to be."

That short sentence took a while to register in the young pharaoh's mind, but when it did, his eyes took on an envious gleam. It was as though he had found his ticket for a trip to the outside world.

"You've been outside the palace before?"

The boy nodded.

"I was living on the streets until about seven months ago," he answered. "Have you never been out there? Were you born in the palace?"

"Yeah, pretty much. I've been cooped up here all my life." Atemu shrugged nonchalantly, but he was extremely bothered by the fact. It made him shudder sometimes when he imagined how he would have to live his entire life inside the four walls of the palace. He bit his bottom lip when the boy cocked his head in that cute way again, seemingly measuring him.

"What's your name? Maybe we can talk about this. I'm Yugi, by the way, a servant in the palace."

That certainly got Atemu's utmost attention. He froze for a moment, wondering what to say. If this boy still hadn't recognized him after conversing for so long, then it was safe to assume he had never seen the pharaoh before, and Atemu wasn't about to reveal his real identity. He had wanted a friend, had he not? A friend who would talk to him like a friend would do, and treat him as such. A friend who did not greet him in the halls like a servant did his pharaoh.

But what name could he use? Suddenly, Seto's voice rang inside his head.

"_Honestly, I don't understand this… As your high priest, I'm out and about the palace more than you do, but somehow, your skin's darker than mine. You know what those traders who came some time ago called you? I think it's something like 'yami' or 'yani'… someone told me it means darkness. It definitely suits you, especially your temper."_

Atemu had shrugged it off quite offhandedly back then, but now it seemed that he could put it to good use. Decision made, he said to Yugi, "You can call me Yami."

Yugi nodded with a light smile.

"Are you a servant here too?" he asked politely.

For a moment, Atemu was tempted to shout something along the lines of him being the pharaoh, and that pharaohs were by no means a servant of any kind. He was the sole ruler of the great kingdom of Kemet, the son of Ra and the morning star who had the Nile River flowing in his honour! However, the fear of losing a potential friend and companion stopped him from giving in to the temptation.

Instead, he said, "…Yes, I suppose I am. I work directly under the great Pharaoh Atemu." He prided himself on the fact that he actually managed to grit that through his teeth without anything more than a slight waver to his voice.

At least he got a hopeful glimmer from Yugi's eyes for saying that, something he thought made the little one look even cuter, if it were possible. When an envious smile broke forth on Yugi's face, Atemu realized that it was indeed possible.

"Really? So have you been around the palace a lot?"

"Ah, yes of course," he replied. On second thoughts however, he knew it wasn't exactly true. Even as pharaoh and despite having grown up inside, there were some parts of the gigantic palace he had yet to explore. Not only was it because of a lack of time, but he had seldom bothered to step out of the north and the occasional west wing. He supposed he knew those two wings the best only because his room and most of his work were carried out in the north, while the library was in the west. Still, Atemu preferred to ask his servants to fetch the tomes from the library rather than head there himself so he wasn't very familiar with that area either. It was good though; at least it meant that he could avoid those desperate harem girls and boys who had the tendency to grovel at his feet coyly.

But it was a great miscalculation that he had never been to the east wing before, especially if there were people like Yugi around the area.

"Wow… it must be great to be able to walk around so much. I'm pretty much stuck here because all of my work is here, and my friends told me that it's dangerous to wander too far…" – Yugi pouted – "I've never even seen the pharaoh before. In fact, very few people in the east wing have, so we've no idea how he even looks like. I mean, the people who claimed to have seen him all have different descriptions… Sometimes I wonder if they're telling the truth."

That explained a lot, Atemu thought, and something that definitely worked in his favour since it meant that he was virtually unknown here in the east wing.

"Well, the pharaoh is very handsome, but that's all I can tell you. I don't think he would appreciate being described. You know, being the living incarnation of Horus and all, we should be more respectful," he supplied as though helpfully. "Just know that he's a great person."

"Oh…" Yugi replied, expression downcast as he lowered his head. For a moment, Atemu felt guilty for lying to the boy. To say he was surprised when Yugi suddenly perked up again was an understatement.

"But you can tell me how the north wing is like, right? That wouldn't offend the pharaoh, would it?"

"No… No, it wouldn't," he answered, almost in a stammer. For all his life, Atemu had been looking forward to leaving the prisons of the four walls that held him in the palace, longed to abandon the heavy crown he wore on his head, and just for a moment, live like a peasant beyond the palace. Yet, here Yugi was, apparently eager to have a taste of what life was like in court.

There was a strange emotion boiling within him, but he knew it wasn't anger. No, it couldn't be that. It was impossible to get angry at the curiosity and enthusiasm that was so obviously etched onto Yugi's young face. Besides, the little one was just too cute for his own good, he noted again.

"So how is life like?"

"Well…" Atemu trailed off, unsure of where to start and what to say. That was a first in years, if he recalled correctly; his tutors had always taught him well. Then suddenly, he had an idea. He could ask Yugi what life was like outside the palace! Not only would he be able to satisfy his own curiosity, he would also get an idea of what to say.

So this he did, to which Yugi's response was a surprised expression that consisted of a blink of his eyes and a tilt of his head.

"Life outside the palace? Well, I guess you could say…" And he started.

* * *

Yugi couldn't remember the last time he had been so interested in someone else's anecdotes about his job. Usually he would try to wriggle his way out of another long-winded storytelling session whenever one of the other servants started to whine about his or her job, and Seto never shared such stories with him before. He remembered asking once, but the older man was reluctant to talk; Seto apparently did not enjoy work very much, even though Yugi thought the man was the classic example of a workaholic.

Yet, Yami had the most amusing way of telling his stories, interspersing serious events with almost comical ones that tickled Yugi's sides. While anecdotal in nature, Yugi found that with the stories, he could finally imagine how life in the north wing was. He even had a very vague idea of the pharaoh's personality. For the umpteenth time, he found himself being envious of Yami's job as the pharaoh's personal servant. At least, it sounded a lot more exciting than /his/ job.

On the other hand, Atemu was enjoying himself immensely as well. It had been a long while since he could let go of his burdens and just interact with another person without the other constantly bowing feebly and fearing of saying the wrong things. Even with his cousin, they were always talking about the country and never just them. It was as though they had both forgotten what it meant to be a normal person. Or in Atemu's case, a human. He had been looked upon and revered as a living god for far too long.

By the time evening came, they had already promised each other to meet again.

* * *

Seto was suspicious, and he had a reason to be.

Over the last few weeks, Atemu had finally gotten out of the dumps and his notorious tantrums were easing away. He smiled a lot more, as opposed to the intimidating smirks and grins he used to throw at his subjects, and for once, he was finishing his work on time. Seto still remembered how his cousin had always complained to him that it was physically impossible to just sit down quietly and read the papyrus that stacked up almost like a mountain. However, he could not recall when was the last time Atemu had said such a thing. In fact, there were a couple of days when the pharaoh was even ahead of his scheduled work. It was almost as though the old Atemu, the child he had grown up with, was slowly coming back.

Diligent, wise, and a joy to be around. Or at least tolerable.

It made everyone happy, especially the council and the other high priests. But Seto could not help but be suspicious of the sudden change. Unless there was a life-altering experience, there was no way a person could change so much overnight. However, there was no indication that something /had/ happened. No gossips, no sudden upheaval of the palace routine, no nothing.

Something was definitely off.

But what?

He eyed the pharaoh through narrowed slits, his arms crossing of their own accord.

As if feeling the gaze, Atemu looked up from his desk where he was going through documents and reports. He stared back with confusion.

"What is it?"

For a moment, Seto considered lying and just get the hell out of the room. His instincts told him that whatever had happened to Atemu, he did not want to know. But the curiosity in him emerged victorious.

"I should be the one asking the question. What's happened to you? You've changed."

Atemu raised an eyebrow.

"Changed? How so?"

"Well, you seem to be a much better mood these days. In fact, it's been this way since a few weeks ago. Did something happen to you?"

Putting down the papyrus he had been reading, Atemu gave him a crooked grin, one that reminded Seto of a child who had managed to snatch something off the kitchen tables without the chef knowing. How did the servants describe that satisfied look? Oh yes. Atemu looked like a Bastet's child that had eaten a bird, and was about ready to lick its paws.

"It's nothing actually."

"Nothing you'd want to tell me, I guess," Seto muttered indignantly. Then he noticed the grin that was still gracing his cousin's lips, and he knew how to get his answer.

"Since you don't wish to tell me, I suppose I'd better leave you alone." And he made to leave.

Atemu cocked his head, perplexed.

"You don't wish to hear?"

Score!

"Well, you don't seem like you wish to share, whatever has happened to you," Seto replied simply, his voice not betraying any of his delight at snarling Atemu.

However, he was surprised when the pharaoh waved him off and returned to his work.

"I shan't waste my breath then. You don't seem really to be curious about this anyway. But don't you think you should be leaving now? Usually, you're at the temple by this time."

Seto took a quick look outside the window and had to stifle a gasp. Atemu was right; judging by the position of the sun, it was already mid afternoon. It was simply unbecoming and unacceptable for the high priest to be late for his daily prayers! Sputtering out a hasty farewell, he hurried off, unaware of the mischievous grin Atemu was sporting.

As the saying went, when the cat is not around, the mice will come out and play.

* * *

Once he was sure Seto was already at the temple, Atemu quickly shooed off the guards by his door and went back into his room to don the set of ragged clothes he always wore for a nice day off. Shooting a glance around the corridors, he dodged into the shadows and made a beeline for the chance to become Yami the servant again.

Atemu was sure he was smiling widely as he rushed over to the royal gardens in the east wing. Lately, he discovered, the simple thought of Yugi would put a smile on his face and there was hardly anything that could knock it off. Seto was not the first one to point it out to him. Somehow, it seemed like the little one was a gust of cool breeze that blew away the clouds that had shut him away, and brought him back out to where the sunlight was. Or he was the boy who lived in an oasis, the one who offered Atemu a scoop of water and shelter after being stranded in the vast desert for days. Whatever it was, there was no doubt that Yugi made him happy.

But Atemu knew that if any of his council or the high priests knew the reason for his recent good mood, they were bound to freak out. Yet, he saw nothing wrong with that; after all, being the ruler of Kemet, he was at least entitled to a little bit of fun. If that meant he had to sneak out in a servant's robes and befriend a servant, then so be it.

At least, Yugi had brains. While others came to him with problems, Yugi came to him with solutions.

Moreover, Yugi had made him appreciate his life more than he ever had. The stories of orphans living on the streets of the cities, unsure if they would have food for their next meal, or even wake up the next morning, were told with such vivid details Atemu had no trouble guessing that Yugi had been one of them. He also heard about how children were snatched up from their beds and never seen again, how his people toiled day and night for money that would be robbed away from them anyway, and how some street merchants would chop off an old man's arms just for stealing a piece of bread.

Atemu was convinced that he wasn't ready for a visit outside just yet, and motivated to work harder so he could provide his people with a better life. All that because of Yugi.

That wasn't all they talked about, however. They talked about everything under the sun, from their hobbies to their wishes, from their duties to their life prior. Of course, Atemu had to lie a bit, but on the whole, he thought he was holding up the truth as well as he could. And he always subtly steered their conversation away when it got dangerous. However, he was surprised at how normal he could be when he was with Yugi.

Yugi's physical attractiveness endured him even more to the young pharaoh. Atemu still had to stop himself from touching the other too much, or gaze at him too many times for too long. But it was difficult, and even got harder and harder with passing day. He had long lost count of how many times he desired to bring Yugi's slim waist closer and caress his smooth complexion, gaze into his amethyst pools, cup his flushed cheeks and lean in for a taste of those supple lips.

He had dreams about all that. Oh yes, he had plenty of dreams about that.

At night, as he lay in his sheets, he imagined Yugi pinned under him, writhing and thrashing. Sometimes, Yugi would pull him down for a sweet kiss and ask that he be loved. Other times, he would completely dominate the little one with his roaming hands and teasing kisses.

But no matter how it turned out to be, Atemu loved it.

He couldn't understand it though, how no one before Yugi had ever managed to elicit such a response out of him. Not one concubine, not one harem member, or even any of the palace maids, gave the pharaoh dreams as erotic as Yugi did. Neither did they make butterflies flutter in his stomach with one look, make his insides warm with a cheerful wave, or make something stir within him with just a smile.

It was a bittersweet experience; Atemu never knew how it could hurt from being in love, but it did. His heart ached when he thought of days he could not meet Yugi.

However, today was not one of those days. Having cleared most of his work, he could sneak out for a secret rendezvous again. Yugi was probably feeding the horses at this time, as he did almost everyday, so it would not be difficult to see him.

Atemu felt his spirits lift at that simple thought.

* * *

It was taking much too long. Where was Yugi?

Atemu craned his neck to peer around the stables, where both Incitatus and Xanthus were neighing softly but were otherwise quiet, as though hungry babies whining for milk but too tired to make a big fuss for the attention. Yet, there was also a strange anxiety in the way they swung their tails. It wasn't just them though; Atemu was worried as well. In all the time he knew Yugi, the little one had never once been late to feed the horses. Sure, there was always about half an hour give or take to which the time he would turn up, but it was already well pass the hour by now.

Something was off.

The pharaoh was already aching to get the guards to comb the area for any trace of his beloved, but it would give his disguise away. Besides, he wasn't too sure if the guards would recognize him in these rags. If they didn't, well, Atemu might have to get acquitted with the prison cells and his high priests would no doubt find out about his frequent escapades. And probably after Seto laughed in his face, he would get the lecture of his life and Yugi might be forced to leave the palace even.

Before his worry could become full-blown panic, however, Yugi turned around the stables and ran towards him with a bucket of horse feed.

"Oh, hi Yami!" he yelled before running right up to the horses and feeding them. Patting Xanthus softly on his mane, he apologized, "I'm sorry for being late. Are you two very hungry? I'm sorry!"

Atemu couldn't help but laugh aloud at Yugi's concerns, at how he was currently trying his best to placate the two temperamental animals while they focused on stuffing their faces as quickly as they could. He doubted that they even registered anything but the food. Still chuckling, he walked up and placed a hand on Yugi's shoulders.

"Calm down, Yugi. The horses are eating now, aren't they? They'll be fine."

"I guess, but I just feel so guilty letting them starve like that. They must be famished by now," Yugi answered sheepishly with a scratch of his head.

"They'll be fine," Atemu assured, looking to his side where Incitatus was taking a big bite of hay and happily munching on it. "But what happened to you? You've never been this late before!"

Somehow, Yugi blushed and he started to fidget uncomfortably.

"I well… I broke some plates when I was in the kitchen earlier, so I erm… volunteered to stay behind to help clean up. But when I was cleaning up, I… I erm… I broke more stuff. So well… I've just been banned from going near anything that's breakable now, especially the things in the kitchen."

As Yugi shuffled and fidgeted more in his embarrassment, Yami could only find himself enchanted by the redness in Yugi's cheeks and how it seemed to accentuate his high cheekbones. He snickered, however, when Yugi mentioned that he was now banned from the kitchen.

"You're so clumsy, Yugi. But I guess that's what so cute about you," he said with a chuckle.

As expected, he was rewarded with a deepening blush. Pushing his advantage with Yugi so unguarded, Atemu reached out to take Yugi's hands in his own, gently caressing them. Ever since the pharaoh had first laid hands on the smooth complexion, something that was a rarity for servants, he had dreamed about touching more and more of the fair skin. Yugi was, in his eyes, getting more beautiful with each passing day.

Suddenly, he noticed a blotch of red on those hands. When he tightened his grip, a bead of blood started to gather slowly.

"Yugi, you're bleeding!"

"I am?" the boy asked, his wide eyes blinking. Taking a good look at his hand, he said, "Oh yeah, you're right. I /am/ bleeding. I guess the broken plates sliced my skin apart when I was cleaning up earlier."

Before Yugi could say anything more, Atemu had dragged him to a nearby well and getting water to clean the wound.

"Does it hurt a lot?" Atemu asked as he dabbed the blood away with some water. When Yugi winced, he frowned and his actions stilled. It hurt him to see Yugi in pain, even if it was just a small cut on his palm. Just what were the other servants thinking? Letting his Yugi doing such menial labour and letting him get hurt? He fumed inwardly.

"I'm fine, Yami. It's just a small cut. I always cut myself anyway, so I'm used to it," Yugi chirped despite a sharp spike of pain.

Atemu stopped in his gentle administrations again in surprise.

"Always? You're always getting hurt? But why?"

"Oh, I'm just a natural klutz. Always breaking stuff and falling down…" the amethyst-eyed boy made a sheepish face at that.

Surely it wasn't that simple, Atemu thought. As soon as he could manage, he was going to make sure Yugi was protected at all times. Then an idea hit him like a beam of light, and he wondered why he hadn't thought of it sooner. The fact that his little one had always yearned to know more about palace life outside of the east wing was going to make it easier.

"You know, Yugi? I've been thinking about something the past few days," he started as he continued to clean up the cut. "The pharaoh wants to have a new personal servant; the old one's really not doing his job too well. In fact, I think he just messed up one of the pharaoh's orders the other day."

Before he could talk more, Yugi interrupted, "What's going to happen to him? He's not going to be… killed, is he?"

"No, no…" Atemu stuttered in surprise. Of all the things he had expected the little one to say, this one was way, way down at the bottom of the list.

"Yami, erm… you talk to the pharaoh, don't you? Could you ask him to… you know, forgive his personal servant? I'm sure he didn't mean to mess up anything…" Yugi pleaded through jagged bangs, having lowered his head earlier. He pulsed his lips.

Despite his surprise, the darker teen laughed. Not at Yugi's insolence, as others would say if they had heard Yugi's plea, but at himself, for being surprised in the first place. After knowing Yugi for so many weeks, after spending so many evenings with the little one and sharing so many conversations with him, Atemu should have known Yugi's kindness extended to everyone he knew. Or in this case, someone he didn't even know about.

Yugi was the perfect person to stay by his side.

He smirked.

"Sure, I will ask the pharaoh to forgive his personal servant. But anyway, seeing that the servant's going to be replaced no matter what, I was thinking if you wanted the job instead?"

"Me… Me?" Yugi exclaimed, pointing at himself.

"Yes, you. I've talked to the pharaoh about you before, and he seems to be quite pleased. I think he likes you."

"What did you tell him? And what did he say?"

"Well, I just told him about this cute little servant in the east wing who does his job diligently and has a knack with temperamental horses," Atemu teased, enjoying it when another blush crept up Yugi's cheeks. "He said quite a lot about you, but I think you should hear it from him personally."

"How is that possible? You know I'll never see him. I'm just a lowly servant after all…"

When Yugi looked down again, Atemu lifted his head with a gentle finger.

"Don't say that. You're a servant, but you're not lowly. You are Yugi."

Yugi blinked for a while before he smiled.

"Thank you. I'm sorry for being silly… again." He laughed.

Atemu returned the laugh in good humour.

"No problem. But anyway… If you accept the job, you'll be one of the highest-ranking servants in the palace. No one would dare mess with the pharaoh's personal servant! And you'll get to work in the north and west wings! Haven't you always wanted to get out of here? I think you should go for it."

"But…"

"No buts, Yugi. This is a chance of a lifetime! I've already arranged for you to meet the pharaoh tomorrow night, in his room. A servant will come over to fetch you, so you don't have to worry about getting lost," he said simply, making a mental note to ask Shimon, his advisor and all-around mother hen, to clear his schedule for tomorrow night.

"You've already arranged for it? But I… this is all so fast. I… I…" Yugi frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm not the best person out there for this job. I'm always messing things up."

Well, that was easy to solve, Atemu thought. He could always get a personal attendant for Yugi, so all the little one had to do was accompany him around and talk to him.

"Don't worry, Yugi. Things will be fine. Just meet the pharaoh tomorrow and everything will be fine. Let him decide if you're suitable for the job."

When Yugi looked like he wanted to object again, Atemu decided he needed a distraction. Quickly, he brought Yugi's hand, the one he had just cleaned and never let go, to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to it. He was disappointed when Yugi's hand shot back almost immediately.

"Yami, I…!"

"Don't misunderstand, little one. My mother once told me that if you kiss a wound, it'd make the pain go away. I just don't want you to hurt."

Yugi's nervousness seemed to seep away like water in a net at those words, and he visibly relaxed.

"O… oh. I'm… I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Atemu replied, sliding off the side of the well. "Come, Yugi. We should be heading back to our jobs."

Yugi, still blushing and cradling his hand, nodded. Silently, he followed Atemu.

Before him, the young pharaoh was already planning what to tell Yugi tomorrow. Vaguely, he wondered how envious Seto would be over his new personal servant. Surely, even someone as cold as Seto would be dazzled by Yugi's beauty.

-tbc-

**Replies to reviews:**

Master Elora Dannan - Thanx!

darleneartist - Sorry this chappie took such a long time, but RL sucks. Anyway, I did make this chappie extra long. Did it make up for the lapse in time? Heh.

xamosy - Nope, I don't mind. Really! Thanx for the review!

Tiger Witch - Updated!

Pharaoh Atemu's Angel - Ha... thanx for telling me about the rating. I must have missed it when i was uploading it. Thanx!

Usagi1313 - Updated... finally!

Fuji Fox - Their relationship is confusing huh/lol/ Well, glad you like! BTW, are you still around? I haven't heard from you in a long while...

Citrus luver - Wow... you're really good at guessing plots huh? Ha, but Yami's not telling Yugi his real name not because the latter didn't pass his trust test. But I'm sure you know the reason for it now. Thanx!

Duelgirl - Really? I'll be reading it then. Thanx!


	3. Chapter III

Title: Tears of the Phoenix part 3

Author: Sorceress Fantasia

Pairings: S/Y, eventual YYxY, SxJ and maybe some others

Warnings: Angst, romance, sap, some OOC-ness, probably some historical incorrectness

Disclaimer: If my desire to own YGO were proportionate to the size of the world's deserts, there would have been at least two more Sahara Deserts. Since that has not happened, I must say that I do not own YGO and any of its characters.

Note: I made a mistake in the previous chappie, when I wrote that Yami claimed to be the personal servant of Pharaoh Atemu. What I wanted to say is that Yami is just a servant who works under Atemu, and has direct contact with him.

Dedication: This chapter is written for **Artist Josie**, who won the little challenge I posted in my other fic 'Choose Your Reality'. Hope you like this!

* * *

"Are you serious?"

Yugi winced at the abuse of his eardrums, but he couldn't blame his friend. Even he was shocked.

"Let me get this straight. You are going to meet the pharaoh tonight, hoping to get a job as his personal servant. And someone is going to come over, and fetch you to the north wing. Am I right?" the blonde girl barked, arms akimbo. She was the perfect embodiment of a mother hen, and Yugi shuddered.

"Well, if you take away the 'hoping' in your sentence, you'd be totally correct."

That got him a raised eyebrow and a sharp glance. Her stance spelt of suspicion and anger, and from all the years Yugi had known her, that was certainly not a good thing.

"Actually…" he started nervously, "I've been meeting this other servant called Yami the last few weeks. He's the pharaoh's servant, so he kinda knows the pharaoh in person… and we met by chance at the stables one day. Then… well, he's been visiting me after that sometimes, just to talk about everything under the sun. Then yesterday, he told me that the pharaoh's personal servant was erm… not doing a very good job, and the pharaoh wants someone else to take over. So Yami sort of nominated me, and insisted I go and meet the pharaoh. In fact, he's the one who arranged for the meeting."

"Wait. You got a new friend, someone you've been meeting frequently, and you didn't even tell me? Were you planning on even letting me know his /name/ if this wasn't happening?" Rebecca asked harshly, genuinely hurt that her best friend had kept something from her.

Yugi shrunk away, flinching at the accusation. However much he wanted to tell her it wasn't so, that he hadn't lied to her, he knew she was right. He had kept Yami a secret from her, his best friend whom he had promised that there would no secrets between them. Rebecca had been hurt before, and that memory was still plaguing her. Yugi had probably just made it worse.

"I… I'm sorry, Rebecca. I would have told you… if… if Yami hadn't made me promise to keep our meetings a secret. He said he would get punished severely by the pharaoh if word were to leak about him sneaking away from work. I even asked him if I could tell you because you're my best friend, but he was really adamant. I think… maybe it was a really serious thing, so…" Yugi trailed off, barely looking up through his jagged bangs at the girl.

She was still scowling intensely, and he gulped. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

Then, another realization dawned on her and her anger seemed to immediately simmer down. Yugi always knew she was a very rationale person.

"Oh, so that's why you've been taking so long to feed Xanthus and Inciticus lately! Fine, so he's the middleman. He's /so/ going to get it from me later!" She made to leave, stomping off to the general direction of the stables, looking like she was ready to bite Yami's head off, whoever he was. No one was going to kidnap her best friend away to the north wing! That was the center of all the murder, backstabbing, half-naked women and who knew what else! Yugi was /not/ going to be tainted while she was still alive.

"Rebecca!" Yugi yelled, pulling on her arm anxiously. "There's nothing we can do now! Yami's already talked to the pharaoh. His majesty will probably be most displeased if I don't meet him tonight!"

She finally stopped, but the scowl seemed permanently fixed on her petite face. When Yugi tried to avoid her eyes, she sighed and the scowl faded away like it had never been there. In its place, a tired frown appeared.

"Yugi, we must find a way to keep you in the east wing. You cannot become the pharaoh's personal servant! It's too dangerous. You know how royalty are. One moment, they act all nice like they really like you and give you all the good stuff, and the next moment, you don't even know why you died! But oh, you'll definitely know /how/ you died. I've heard of stories from the guards, about all those gory ways they carry out the death sentence.

"They say there's a snake pit in the torture chambers, where a hundred thousand poisonous snakes are always baring their fangs. And then there's the slow and tortuous way of getting your flesh sliced off piece by piece and you just bleed to death. But that's if you don't die from the pain first! Or what if the pharaoh decided to use you as some sort of sacrifice to the gods? They could feed you to the crocodiles! Or let you burn up under the sun! Or…"

"It's enough, Rebecca. I think I'm going to puke…" True to his word, Yugi was already looking quite green.

"I think chopping off the head is probably the least painful way to die. And the fastest…" she trailed off, but she managed to catch herself and quickly added, "But I don't want to see you on the executioner's table! So Yugi, tonight, you have to find a way to persuade the pharaoh to let you come back to the east wing! It's too dangerous there!"

Yugi wanted to nod, but the thought of being able to see Seto more often stopped him. If he really became the pharaoh's personal servant, he was bound to see Seto, the high priest, a lot. And there were a lot more other considerations he had to take into account. Rejecting the pharaoh, for whatever reason, could be deadly. He remembered Seto telling him that even if the pharaoh gave you a bag of poisonous snakes, you'd have to accept it or risk annoying the living embodiment of Horus. And from what he had learned about the pharaoh's temper… it was a really bad combination.

Then again… what Rebecca had just said about snakes did not seem appealing at all.

"What should I do, Rebecca? You know I'm clumsy by nature. I could die on my first day! Beheaded for breaking the pharaoh's beloved vase! Or worse, breaking the pharaoh's head /with/ the vase!" Yugi exclaimed, already imagining the scenario in his head.

At that, they both shuddered.

"And it's the pharaoh, the ruler of this kingdom, the living god! I can't even pretend to be a bad servant by breaking something because he might break my neck for it! Oh no… what has Yami gotten me into?" –he lifted his head and looked at his friend through teary eyes- "Rebecca, if I, by any chance, die within the next few days, would you help me hire someone to do the funeral rites? I've saved up some money; it should be enough for that…"

"Yu-Yugi! Don't scare me! You… you've got to be a little more optimistic! Come, we'll make you look a little ugly. Then maybe the pharaoh wouldn't want you! Yeah… that's an idea."

What they didn't say was that that was their only idea.

* * *

By the time night fell, Yugi had already finished telling Rebecca where his secret stash was, and how to divide up his belongings should he never come back. He had also finished dressing himself down, wearing the ugliest shirt he owned and not bothering to clean his face. Surely, the pharaoh wouldn't execute a servant for being ugly and a little dirty. Or that was what he hoped.

And then he waited. But while he looked calm on the outside, his mind was like a consecutive, never-ending slideshow with each scenario scarier than the last. Yugi was starting to agree with Rebecca that death by losing his head was the easiest way out. But his head was very much attached to his neck, thank you very much.

Unconsciously rubbing his neck, he thought of his friends.

Seto was the first to come to his mind. A smile tugged at his lips at that thought, and Yugi gave in. His lover never failed to bring a smile to his face, the same way Seto smiled when he thought of Yugi. But now, Yugi wasn't sure how long that smile would last on Seto's face when he found Yugi in the north wing, working as the pharaoh's personal servant. Probably as long as it took for his mind to blow a fuse.

And of course there was Rebecca. She had offered to stay with him to wait for the guards, but he needed some time to himself and clear his mind. Besides, he was half afraid that the guards who were supposed to bring him to the pharaoh would drag the poor girl with him. She was pitiful enough to not need any more misery for the rest of her life, being forced into slavery when her village was pillaged and burned down by robbers. Yugi doubted she would ever forget the face of the man who was drenched in her parents' blood.

Then there was Neferet, the kind lady who had taken Yugi under her wing when he first arrived. She was the motherly figure he never had before, teaching him to do the simple chores and stashing extra food away just for him in case he was hungry. She always thought he was too skinny.

And Xanthus and Inciticus! He had nearly forgotten about them. What would they do when he wasn't going to be around to feed them anymore? But he was sure someone else would pick up the job. It was always like that. Life always went on, and a person's death was never too important to stop the world from moving on. Even when the ruler passed on, there would be a new ruler to start a new reign. So what right did he, a mere servant, have to ask the world to stop for him for even one moment? But -Yugi chuckled- he would pity that person chosen to feed the horses after he left. They were never very friendly towards anyone but him. Surely, Xanthus would try to bite the poor man, just like it had tried to with Yami.

Yami… the man whom he had met only a few weeks ago at the stables, who had managed to become one of his best friends in that short amount of time, and unfortunately, also the man who had put him in this spot now. But Yugi couldn't really bring himself to blame him. Somehow, he was sure that Yami was just trying to help him fulfill his wishes of seeing the north wing. And the pharaoh too.

Vaguely, Yugi wondered how the pharaoh looked like. Was he as handsome as some of the palace maids had exclaimed as they chatted excitedly along the corridors, after having caught a glimpse of the living god? They squealed at his golden bronze complexion, the colour of a healthy and virile man. And was he as charismatic as they claimed? That he could avoid war with another kingdom simply by the magic of his voice and the power of his gaze? But more importantly, was he also as cruel as Rebecca believed him to be?

He bit his lip.

Suddenly, he felt the lights dimming and he looked up, only to see a group of men blocking the faint moonlight. Yugi shivered, getting the mental image of Anubis coming to fetch him, as absurd as he knew it was.

"Are you Yugi?" the elderly man before him asked.

Nervously, he nodded.

Apparently, the older man noticed his apprehension, for he gave a gentle smile and said, "Well, hello young one. I'm Shimon, the pharaoh's adviser. These two behind me are Honda and Otogi. They're both here to ensure we get to the pharaoh's chambers safely. Well, not that it's unsafe in the palace, of course."

The guards nodded sagely.

"He… Hello," Yugi said meekly.

Shimon gave him a quick once-over and shook his head with a loud sigh.

"This simply won't do! Child, how long has it been since you last got some food in your stomach and new clothes in your wardrobe?"

Yugi blinked. Before he could reply that he had dinner that day but he had always been petite and that he had no idea what a wardrobe was, the elderly man quickly pulled him away. Honda and Otogi followed silently behind.

* * *

After a thorough scrub and a set of new clothes, Yugi felt cleaner than he had ever been. But while that bath felt wonderful, he couldn't help but note his plan of looking ugly and dirty had been shot to hell. Well, at least he was going to die clean, which was something not many servants had the fortune to enjoy.

And adviser Shimon actually treated him rather nicely, something Yugi thought was quite unbefitting a man of his status, especially when Yugi was only a lowly ranked servant. He also made sure Yugi was given something to eat, apart from a bath and new clothes. While it was probably sensible to make him presentable to the pharaoh, Shimon also talked to him repeatedly, teaching him how to greet his majesty and what to do and what not to do in his presence. All in all, Yugi thought that he had just been given a crash-course on court etiquette, and it made him feel somewhat less nervous about the upcoming interview.

However, as he stood before the grand doors to the pharaoh's personal chambers, he trembled again.

"Now, Yugi. Don't be too afraid. Just revere the pharaoh like you would do a god and all will be fine. His majesty is kind," Shimon assured him, giving his shoulders a friendly pat.

Biting his lip, the younger nodded and braced himself as the doors opened. Vaguely, Yugi wondered if Yami was in the room with the pharaoh. And maybe Seto would be inside too? He felt considerably better at those thoughts.

Then, he was ushered in and the doors closed behind him with finality. He took a moment to marvel at the luxurious room, feeling in awe of its sheer beauty. And the room was cool as a light breeze drifted inside, lifting the veils and curtains. Yugi thought the room was mystical, a fitting description for the room that belonged to the enigmatic ruler of this kingdom.

But the pharaoh was nowhere to be seen. In fact, it seemed that the room was void of all mortal existence but himself.

Just when Yugi thought that the pharaoh had not retreated to his room yet, he spied a movement behind the veils. Immediately, he fell to his knees and prayed for his voice to work and to remember the greeting Shimon had tried to drill into his head.

"Your… Your majesty…" he started, but try as he might, he could not remember what else he was supposed to say. Looking down at the ground, he hoped that a god, any god, would take pity on him and let the words flow magically out of his lips, but pity, apparently, was not given out easily. Absently, Yugi thought this was a rather silly reason for his execution that was sure to come now.

However, there was no harsh reprimand nor was there a brutal kick to his side. Instead, there was a deep laughter that seemed to bubble from the other man's throat. It was strangely soothing.

"Little one, there is no need to grovel at my feet. Not for you, at least."

Yugi blinked in surprise. This voice! He knew that voice! But it wasn't possible!

Then, a finger under his chin lifted his head, and for the first time in his life, Yugi saw the man drabbed in royal regalia. Soft, white linen clothing wrapped around his body, and it was accentuated by various pieces of gold jewelry that adorned his arms and legs and the red cape billowing behind him. On his head was a golden crown fitted with the eye of Horus, a protector and a show of the man's power. But what were truly breathtaking were those passionate, red eyes that shone under the dim candlelight.

His friend's beautiful red eyes.

The man smiled.

"Hello, Yugi."

The only thought in Yugi's mind right before he fainted dead away was how the servant girls were right; Yami did have a very nice skin tone.

* * *

He heard some noises, and they were waking him up. Yugi groaned, and tried to roll to his side and pick up a pillow to block out the noise. The bed was much too soft, his sleep much too comfortable to wake up from. When he heard a low rumble coming from underneath him, he protested with another groan and attempted to slap whatever it was away. It was probably Rebecca, trying to get him up for work.

He got the shock of his life when his hand was caught and wrapped in a warm fist instead. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

Instead of seeing the blonde servant's impatient frown (as he did every morning; Yugi was, self-admittedly, not a morning person by any means), he saw Yami's mischievous smirk, accentuated by the playful twinkle in those ruby eyes. While that was a shock by itself, it was not the most shocking. As much as Yugi wanted to get off, he found it difficult to accomplish, what with him being pinned to Yami's chest. Not only that, but he was also half-lying on Yami, his head lying on the other's chest. Their bodies were almost pressed chest to chest, thigh to thigh. Yugi felt himself blushing so hard he knew his face was burning.

"Ya… Yami… let me get off…" he said, almost squeaking. His arms were, strangely, feeling very weak.

"Shh, Yugi. You need to rest; you fainted earlier," Yami said, even as he was slowly extracting himself from underneath the other.

"I… I fainted?" Yugi asked, trying to sit up. He clutched his head as a wave of dizziness hit him, but he refused to lie down again. "What… happened…?"

He got his answer when he looked up at his friend again, who was, strangely enough, still dressed in the lavish clothes Yugi thought he had seen in his dreams. Only that now, Yugi was sure it wasn't a dream. It was real.

Yugi threw off the covers and quickly got on his knees on the ground, only to find that he was still stuck in his bed for two good reasons. Firstly, his legs felt like jelly. Secondly, Yami –the pharaoh, he corrected himself- was holding him down by the shoulders.

"Don't get up. I don't want you to faint again," the pharaoh said sternly but not unkindly. "Stay here. I'll ask the servants to bring you something to eat."

The amethyst-eyed boy could only nod stupidly as he watched the cape billowed behind the pharaoh, who was stalking off to the door. While the man was no doubt ordering a servant outside his room, Yugi pinched his arm and promptly yelped.

* * *

Yugi resisted the urge to pinch himself for the umpteenth time as he felt himself sinking into the large couch –it seemed to be taking a perverse pleasure in swallowing his small frame- that he had been led to. Instead, he willed his hands into holding the cup of warm broth steadily and bringing it to his mouth. So far, so good. If only he could manage to open his mouth and drink it, that is.

Seated just beside him, he could tell that Yami -the pharaoh!- was trying to stifle another snicker. Actually, it took no genius to see that the man was very amused, the way he was biting his bottom lip to stop himself from laughing –too hard- and the way his eyes were twinkling.

"Yugi, relax! I'm not going to eat you! Even if I wanted to, I'd have to fatten you up first. Have you been eating well at all?" Yami asked, but got no response. Not that he expected any. Servants were always too surprised to speak properly in his presence. Carefully, he clasped his hands over Yugi's and slowly guided the broth to the other's mouth.

"Come, little one. Open your mouth and eat a bit of this. You're looking a little too pale for my liking now. I really don't want you to fall sick. Having something warm in your stomach should help."

Yugi decided he was going to have a very interesting story to tell the other servants when he got back to the east wing. The pharaoh, the ruler of this kingdom, the living god was actually feeding him! He was actually coaxing him to eat something!

With his voice still not found, Yugi nodded meekly and took a small sip. It was actually pretty nice; it was thick and warm, unlike what he was used to having at the servants' quarters. No matter how much Seto loved him, they could not risk giving Yugi the best of everything lest someone found out their relationship. So Yugi had gotten used to eating what the other servants ate: bread and a thin broth so bland it was almost tasteless. What the pharaoh was feeding him –he was actually feeding him!- was much more delicious, and Yugi savoured it after the first sip.

Yami let go of the bowl once he was certain Yugi was helping himself to it. However, he did not move away, choosing to keep their thighs pressed together and keeping an arm across Yugi's shoulder. Vaguely, he wondered if Yugi was going to have another shock when he recovered enough to find himself in his embrace. That was the only thought that kept Yami from settling Yugi on his laps. He had to constantly remind himself to slow down his advances or risk giving Yugi another scare, but that was so difficult when the little one still managed to look so utterly cute despite the wide eyes.

Still, Yami thought as he continued to observe Yugi drinking his broth, the little one was not going to leave him anymore. He was going to keep Yugi by his side and in his bed as soon as he could manage it. For now, however, there was no need to scare him off yet.

When Yugi finished the broth, Yami tugged on a rope and a harried servant quickly scattered in and asked very, very politely if the pharaoh's guest wanted another bowl. It was almost as though the poor woman had been waiting outside the door for this moment, Yugi thought. But Yami waved her off, and she quickly scampered away and the door closed again.

As the sound of the huge doors closing echoed in the room, the violet-eyed boy suddenly found his long-lost composure again. And the questions that had been floating in and out of his consciousness all swarmed to the forefront of his mind, almost overwhelming him.

"Your… Your majesty, I…" he started, half-wondering if he should kneel on the ground. That, however, would mean he had to knock the young king's hands off his shoulder and his head would probably find a new home if that action offended him. Speaking of which, why was the pharaoh's hand around his shoulder in the first place? Yugi felt himself sweating.

Then, a low rumble of laughter shook him out of his deep contemplation.

"Yugi, do I have to wear my servant costume again to get you to relax? You're still my friend! I'm still Yami to you! And I always will be," Yami said, murmuring the last bit of his words sensually, in that voice Yugi had once said could trick a falcon into submission. His right arm was still draped over Yugi's shoulder.

"But your majesty-!" Yugi exclaimed, but was immediately cut off with a finger to his lips.

"Yami," Yami insisted with a soft look.

The younger boy absently wondered if this was a trick, that he was only a mere toy to the pharaoh, another soon-to-be victim of his cruelty. However, when he took a closer look (it was a wonder why he hadn't been executed for looking the pharaoh in his eyes), Yugi found his friend's sincerity. Yami would never do such a thing. He wasn't capable of it.

Finally, he stammered, "Ya… Ya… Yami."

His anxiety was washed away when Yami's smile widened.

"That's right. I'm Yami. I'm still the one you met that day at the stables, the one who's been sneaking away to the east wing just to see you."

"But… but why, your majesty? I… I mean, Yami."

If it were possible, Yami's grin grew even wider.

"Well, it's very boring to rule a kingdom, you know? I'm stuck doing work everyday, and it's so hard to find someone to talk to. Sure, my high priest is an interesting person to talk to, but even that gets boring after 18 years."

At that moment, Yugi remembered all of Seto's frustration caused by the wayward pharaoh. He was starting to understand why.

"So I snuck over to the east wing that day, hoping to get a horse and go into the city for a little bit of fun. On that note, Xanthus and Inciticus are irritating. Anyway, instead of getting either of them to help me escape from the palace, I found you instead. And you know the rest."

"Ah…" No, he didn't understand anything at all.

"So!" Yami started again. "What do you think of working for me now? Haven't you always wanted to see the north wing? This is the perfect chance! Accept my offer and stay with me! That way, we can stay together everyday and you'll get to see the north wing. Besides, as my personal servant, you'd be highly ranked enough to not be hurt anymore! So what do you think?"

The young pharaoh sounded casual enough, but Yugi could still catch the little bit of anxiousness that laced his voice. It was almost inexistent, but somehow, Yugi felt it. Maybe…Yami really wanted him to be his personal servant. That wasn't so hard to comprehend; after all, Yugi could easily think of the other man as one of his closest friends despite knowing him for only a few weeks. Maybe Yami thought the same of him.

Still, Rebecca's warnings swirled around in his mind like a falcon in the sky, ready to swoop down for the kill.

"I… I…" Words to refuse the offer, to beg the pharaoh to let him return to the east wing hung on his lips, waiting only to be spoken. But they weren't. They were stuck. And they weren't given the chance to be spoken.

"I promise you won't actually have to work. I've already arranged for someone else to be working under you, so he'll be the one actually doing the job. I just want you to stay by my side and be my friend. Will you, Yugi? Stay and be my friend?" Yami asked with a sincerity Yugi had not seen since a long time ago.

And that was it.

"Ah… I… I accept."

* * *

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, working for Yami –he's really the pharaoh!- after all. After accepting the job, instead of getting briefed on his job scope because Yami thought he shouldn't be up for much longer since he had fainted earlier, Yugi had been shown to his own room (Yami was apparently very confident he would not be turned down; maybe Seto was right about the pharaoh being arrogant) that had already been luxuriously decorated with a large, soft bed that seemed to take up a good part of the room and he finally knew what a wardrobe was. In fact, his wardrobe was already filled with several set of clothes that looked much too beautiful for a servant, even if he /was/ the pharaoh's personal servant. It looked like Yami was serious about him working as his personal servant only in name. Oh well, at least there would be a lesser risk of him breaking Yami's neck with a vase.

But there was still a danger of him sleepwalking to Yami's room and… whatever that could happen that resulted in an execution. After all, their rooms were so close; his room was attached to Yami's by a door at the side.

As he lay down on his bed, he sighed contentedly. It was just so comfortable. He fisted the sheets, and breathed in the fresh, clean smell. When was the last time he had laid in something this comfortable?

Three days ago, with Seto, his mind supplied. He always felt so safe and secure in his lover's arms.

Yugi sighed at that thought. Vaguely, he wondered how long it was going to take for Seto to blow up at him. Or would he blow up at all? Seto could be pretty unpredictable. He figured he would find out when he met him… sometime soon, he guessed.

* * *

In the room beside Yugi's, Atemu was secretly rejoicing for his success. Nothing could wipe the grin off his face, he was certain. Mentally, he did a quick check against his progress chart he had aptly named 'Make Yugi My Lover'. Lover-style hug, checked. Lying in bed together (although they were both fully clothed), checked. Whispering sweet nothings into his ear (even though he wasn't sure how coherent Yugi had been at that point in time. Or was he even awake at all?), checked. Raining kisses to his face (maybe Yugi really wasn't feigning sleep), checked. No lip to lip kissing yet, but he was going to fix that soon. But the biggest accomplishment of the night had to be moving Yugi into a bedroom joined to his own.

For once, he was glad that Yugi's shyness did not allow him to ask Atemu just why his room was furnished with an extra large bed.

But Atemu was sure that Shimon had caught onto something. There was no other reason as to why he would give Yugi a scented bath in Atemu's favourite scent. His advisor was just too sharp for anything much to escape him. At least he didn't dress Yugi in harem garb. That would surely have done a great job in unraveling Atemu's control; Yugi was already too cute for words.

Flopping himself into his bed in a manner unsuited for a pharaoh, he sighed contentedly. Now that Yugi was his personal servant, he would be seeing him every day. And as soon as he could manage it, he was going to see Yugi every night too. In fact, he would not let Yugi leave his sights for one moment.

Soon, he told himself. Soon.

Tomorrow, the announcement would be made: Yugi, Pharaoh Atemu's new personal servant.

tbc-

Replies to reviews:

**citrus luver** - Ha... Yugi's not really hurt. The Yugi I'm trying to portray in this fic is really mild-tempered, despite having been a thief in the past. So instead of feeling hurt, he was more shocked than anything. And Seto... well, he'll be appearing in the next chappie to feel some of Yugi's shock at finding out that Yami and Atemu are the same person. But for now, he's safe. Thanx for the review!

**Chika of the high Mts - **Yup, unless something goes wrong with my creative juices (but i really doubt that), this will be Yami/Yugific. I hope you like this chappie too!

**Pharaoh Atemu's Angel**-Ha... I wouldn't say devious; just cunning. And i guess he had to, or he would never have befriended Yugi so easily. Hope you enjoyed this chappie!

**luvngYAMI - **Erm, i hope this update wasn't very late for you? Heh... /sweatdrops/

**tiger witch **- Heh, Yami's not going to find out abt Yugi's relationship with Seto so soon. If he does, it wouldn't be fun at all! And Seto... well, Yami's the pharaoh after all. Seto will have to be careful with his words and actions (esp if it concerns Yugi) soon if he wants to stay out of trouble. So... well, you'll find out what happens to Seto in the next chappie, which i hope won't take too long to come out. Ha...

**xamosy**- Himeno-dear! Hope you were pleased with this chappie! I can't reveal much of the plot now (not that it's not easy to guess by now), so you'll just have to wait and see. Heh...

**Fugi Fox **- I seem to have the bad habit of using too many words to talk about a single thing, so I guess that's why my stories tend to move very slowly... /sweatdrops/  
Actually, i'm basing what i'm writing for the Egyptian palace on what i know about palace life in ancient China. Heh... i'm just hoping they're a little more similar than i think. Thank you sooooo much for liking my stuff! You have no idea how honoured I am to have something say this sort of thing to me Thank you!

**Strega **- Ha... That was something i came up on the spot, cuz like you, i was worried that Yugi would break something on his first day of work. And where would the story be? Luckily, this little twist offered by Atemu will solve this problem, and also add a bit of lovestuck-ness to his actions. Glad you like!

**Usagi1313** - Updated now! Hope you enjoyed this chappie too!

**Cetsunai **- I'm sorry, but this fic will be Yami/Yugi as long as my creative juices are working right. There will probably be bits of Yugi/Seto, but the main pairing is still Yami/Yugi. I agree with you though... Yugi and Seto can look really cute together!

**Amber Eyes23 **- Did Yugi freak out enough? Ha... Seto will freak out in the next chappie, so hope you'll look out for it!

**Trio Wing **- Erm... this chappie also came out 2 months late, so well... /sweatdrops/

**Keeper of the Times** - Updated! Hope you like!

**fluffys-sidesick- **Yupz! I hope you enjoyed this chappie too!


	4. Chapter IV

Title: Tears of the Phoenix part 4

Author: Sorceress Fantasia

Pairings: S/Y, eventual **YYxY**, **SxJ **and maybe some others

Warnings: Angst, romance, sap, some OOC-ness, probably some historical incorrectness

Disclaimer: If my desire to own YGO were proportionate to the size of the world's deserts, there would have been at least two more Sahara Deserts. Since that has not happened, I must say that I do not own YGO and any of its characters.

* * *

Something was irritating his eyes, and Yugi tried to bat it away with a weary hand. He sighed blissfully when he was left alone again, snuggling deeper into his headrest. Then without warning, his blanket was tugged away lightly and Yugi protested with a whine. When his blanket was released, he quickly pulled it closer to his body. He sighed happily again, not aware of a light chuckle in the room.

Then, Yugi felt a caress that was expertly disguised as a simple nudge on his shoulders, and someone whispered, "Yugi, it's time to wake up."

"...Becca, one more minute..." he slurred, barrowing deeper into his comfortable bed.

Just when Yugi thought he had finally gotten his good friend to give up on waking him up for their morning chores, he felt a body loom over his, and a sloppy kiss was planted on his left cheek. When Yugi only asked to be left alone with a soft mumble, another kiss was planted below his ear. Before he could respond to that, she was blowing softly into his ear, almost flirtingly so. When did Rebecca get so playful anyway?

Finally, Yugi gave up.

"Fine, fine, I'm up. Stop that, Rebecca," he mumbled, slowly getting up when she crawled off of his body. Yawning loudly and stretching his body, Yugi could barely register that the sun was already up, and probably had for quite a while already. Vaguely, he wondered what he would have to do in order to persuade Rebecca to give him his breakfast; she always saved him a bit of food when he got up too late, but as a bit of punishment, Yugi usually had to help her do a few chores before she would hand the food over. Initially, she claimed that it would help Yugi learn to wake up in the morning, but it later became some sort of game between them when she finally realized that Yugi would never, ever be a morning person.

He rubbed his eyes wearily, and he had to blink a couple of times before they focused enough to let him see clearly. When they did, Yugi felt his jaws drop.

Instead of where Rebecca was supposed to be, arms akimbo with a smug expression, there was Yami – no, the pharaoh! – sitting on the edge of his bed, with the most amused expression Yugi had ever seen. Suddenly, a wave of revelation washed over him and he nearly fell over. The pharaoh – not Rebecca! – had been the one trying to wake him up for the past few minutes! He was so going to be executed. He could just hear the other servants whispering amongst themselves.

"Did you hear about that idiotic servant who continued lazing in bed after the pharaoh was awake? And the pharaoh even had to wake him up!"

"Oh yes. I've never heard of such a stupid person!"

"Me neither."

And all three servants sighed dramatically together, thanking the pharaoh for ridding the world of another idiot.

Hastily, Yugi tried to get onto his knees on the ground, but with his usual clumsiness, his foot got tangled up with the blanket and nearly fell off instead. Luckily, Yami was there to catch him and put him back onto the bed. Even so, Yugi could not stop himself from sputtering his apologies and pay his respects to the mighty pharaoh.

He stopped only when Yami's warm finger were pressed against his lips.

"Yugi, I thought we got over the pharaoh thing last night! I'm Yami to you, not 'your majesty' or whatever!" Yami barked, his eyebrows knitted together in a deep frown.

Yugi winced.

"I... I'm sorry, Yami. I just..."

"No, no, hikari. I'm sorry for snapping at you. I should have known that it's impossible for you to get used to my other identity overnight," he sighed. "But Yugi, I want you to understand that you're my friend, no matter who I am. So whether I'm wearing my pharaoh garb or my servant ones, it doesn't matter to you. I'm still Yami."

He spoke with such sincerity that Yugi found it difficult to refuse him. Slowly, he nodded.

"I know, Yami... It's just that my mind hasn't made that adjustment yet. Please give me some time," he pleaded, batting his puppy eyes that he could always count on to tug people's heart strings. Then, sheepishly, he added, "Besides, I just woke up."

The combined forces of the puppy eyes and sheepish tone made Yami chuckle, all traces of anger seeping out of his previously tensed body in a split second. Shaking his head, he pinched Yugi's cheeks in amusement.

"Speaking of that, do you have any idea how hard it is to wake you up? I've tried everything I could, and I was almost ready to pounce on you!"

Deciding that Yami wanted him to act normally instead of revering him and putting him on the highest pedestal, Yugi stuck out his tongue good-naturedly and batted Yami's hands away from his face.

"It's a good thing you didn't then. I might have punched you! No matter what you think, pouncing scares people!" he yelled in mock anger, but any hints of anger were instantly dispelled by his rambunctious laughter.

The playful atmosphere was shattered though, the moment Yami pulled him closer and whispered in his ear, "But you wouldn't wake up."

Yugi shivered at the whisper of wind into his ear, and he knew it wasn't because it was chilly. It was the tone Yami had spoken with, something that Yugi recognized immediately from his years on the streets: flirtation and desire, mixed with a bit of lust. But it was so subdued Yugi almost thought he had imagined it. Did that mean that...? Had Yami kissed him, whispered in his ears and caressed him earlier? Or was that all just a dream?

No, it was all real, Yugi was sure. He could still feel the warmth on his cheeks, and the tingly shivers on his shoulders. Yami had done all that, and maybe more while he was fast asleep.

At that, Yugi felt a rush of pride and also embarrassment. Pride because the pharaoh liked him enough to do all those things to him, and embarrassment because of the same reasons. He was just a servant, hardly worthy of any affection from the pharaoh of all people. More importantly, he already had Seto.

His embarrassment overcame his surge of pride, and Yugi quickly ducked his head, choosing to peer at Yami through his jagged bangs and a change in topic.

"Yami? How come you're already fully dressed? I mean... Aren't I supposed to help you with your clothes?"

"Hmm? Oh, right, you are supposed to, but you looked too tired so I decided to let you sleep a bit more. I didn't expect you to wake up early this morning, really, since you must have had a big shock last night," –he shrugged- "So I got someone else to help dress me. I did tell you about assigning a servant to work under you, didn't I?"

Yugi blinked. Indeed, Yami had said that somewhat offhandedly last night, but Yugi didn't think he really meant it. After all, someone who did no work in a house was only wasting food and space. That was something that monster of a man – for lack of a better description- had drilled into his head after years and years of repeating it in his face. Yugi's face hardened.

"I'm sorry, Yami. I promise that I'll be up tomorrow to help you," he said.

Yami seemed to understand his need to do something –it was probably reflected in his eyes, Yugi thought- and he nodded.

"You will help me, but take as long as you need to get used to your new life. I imagine you usually don't wake up this early in the east wing," he teased gently. "Becca, one more minute?"

The young servant blushed.

"Just curiosity speaking here, but who's Becca?" Yami asked, looking at him intently.

"My friend in the east wing. She used to wake me up every morning..." –he gasped- "Yami, she must be worried sick about me! Can I visit her or something to let her know I'm fine?"

Yami cocked an eyebrow.

"Worried? Why would she be worried? She must know that you're with me, the pharaoh! Why would it worry her?"

Yugi gulped inwardly. He had a sneaking suspicion that Yami wouldn't like the truth very much. Uh huh, not at all. Perhaps he would get angry enough to throw him into the dungeons or have him punished accordingly. But he didn't like the idea of lying to his friends, least of all the pharaoh, the ruler of this mighty kingdom! Slowly, he started.

"Well... Rebecca lost her family before becoming a servant here. So she's worried for me; she doesn't want to lose anyone else..." he paused, unsure of how much to say. But one look at Yami's confused expression, and he knew he had to continue. He added, "And we weren't sure how... you would react to me. Nobles aren't... exactly known for their kindness."

He knew that well from experience. Friends who had run away from their masters' cruelty, who had gotten beat up for looking at a noble girl, who lost both their arms for stealing an apple from a rich man's kitchen... He only knew their heartlessness, and none of their benevolence. But all those were in the past. Yugi was already in the palace, living peacefully under the watchful eyes of his friends and Seto. And now, he had Yami. He was safe.

Shaking off those depressing thoughts, Yugi continued, "And I'm not really the most graceful person around... We were worried that I would break a vase or something."

He grinned nervously, waiting for the laughter that was sure to come. Surely, Yami would tease him for being paranoid, and agree with his assessment of just how graceful he was. But it never came.

Instead, when he looked up, he saw Yami gazing at him with an unreadable expression. Before he could do anything or ask any questions, however, a string of knocks on the door effectively cut through the tension in the air and Yami headed for the door.

Yugi sighed in relief. There was something... something in the way Yami had looked at him. It made his body tingle and his heart beat faster. If he had a mirror, there was no doubt that he would see himself blushing. But he could think of no explanation for why he was reacting this way. It wasn't the first time he had seen such an expression from Yami. The older man always became subdued and even upset after Yugi told him stories of street children, though he had never revealed if those were from his personal experiences. Most of them weren't, for Yugi found it considerably easier to wriggle out of trouble and danger than most of his companions on the street.

But Yami had never looked this... unreadable before.

Then, Yugi perked up at the smell of food. He looked towards the door, where servants were bustling in with trays of steaming food and sweet wine, and he gaped. He had never seen this much food at one go before! Who was going to eat all that?

Just as he was gaping at the servants setting up a make-shift table and laying out the food, Yami got back to his side.

"Yugi, you should get dressed and eat some breakfast. After that, we'll have to go to court."

"Court? Me?"

To say he was a rabbit staring into the sharp edge of an arrow was an understatement.

Luckily, Yami's gloominess seemed to have dissipated, and he smiled gently.

"It shouldn't be as boring since you're going to be there with me. And I'll have to announce your new status to my subjects, so you have to be there today. If you get really bored, then I promise you don't have to go tomorrow. But no matter, Yugi, get dressed!" he exclaimed, pulling Yugi out of bed and to his wardrobe.

It was actually just a normal-looking chest in a corner of his room, but the amount of clothes it contained was astonishing to Yugi. He rummaged through them, silently hoping for a little advice on what one wore to court and maybe some help on choosing a set of clean clothes. But Yami apparently wasn't going to help; he was still waiting patiently beside him.

Then, someone spoke up.

"Your majesty, if I may help?"

Yugi looked up to his side, where a boy was bowing respectfully to the pharaoh.

"Granted. Pick a set of clothes that would look good on Yugi, but make sure it's formal enough. He's going to court with me, and he needs to give everyone a good first impression."

The boy quickly got to his task, and Yugi backed away to get a good look at him. He was probably fifteen summers, with dirty white hair framing warm brown eyes and a set of handsome features. But though he looked frail and perhaps even a little weak, Yugi could detect the slightest hints of a tough spirit within that body. Yugi quickly found himself sympathizing with the other boy; his white hair must have given him much trouble. After all, apart from old age, people usually associated white hair with consorting with evil spirits (1). It was unnatural, they said. But at least, his hair wasn't really all white; it was a little brown and yellow, though Yugi couldn't tell if that was natural or an intentional change in hair colour.

It seemed that the other boy wasn't new to his job, for he quickly pulled out a set of appropriate clothing and shut the lid to the chest. Placing the folded clothes respectfully in both hands, he held it up for Yugi.

"Thank... Thank you..." Yugi stammered uneasily as he reached out for the clothes.

"This is the servant I was telling you about, Yugi. He'll be performing most of your duties from now on," Yami said, and then he turned to the other. "Introduce yourself, slave."

The boy nodded obediently, like he was used to such names.

"My name is Ryou, your majesty."

Yugi was almost alarmed by how submissive the other servant was. Was servants trained to be like that in the north wing? Trained to obey all instructions like a docile lamb for the slaughter? He suppressed a shiver that threatened to travel down his spine. Hastily, he put on a wide smile.

"Hello Ryou. I'm Yugi."

Instead of answering immediately, Ryou took a quick glance at the pharaoh, his head turning just a fraction of an inch as though he was afraid of looking. When he finally deemed it safe, he answered with a smile of his own, "Hello Yugi, it's a pleasure to meet you. I will be working under your care from now on, so please, if you have anything I can help, just order me to do so."

His voice was not as dispassionate as it had been earlier, but there was still a tinge of insincerity lacing his every word, almost like the boy had already been desensitize. Ryou did not act as though he didn't want to be there in the room, but he did nothing to show he wanted to either. So when Yami waved him off for some other chores, he simply bowed deeply and left the room, just as all the other servants who laid the table had.

Somehow, Yugi was starting to question his decision to stay in the north wing.

* * *

It was just normal breakfast fare that consisted of a few loaves of bread and bowls of fruit, but Yugi acted like it was a feast. Although the young boy did not grab the food or gobble, it was easily apparent that he was enjoying the food and drink from the small sounds of satisfaction he was making. Or the wide eyed look he had when he first laid eyes on the table. Or the way he kept glancing his way to make sure it was okay to eat that much.

It was utterly cute and awfully endearing, Yami thought.

As he tore off pieces of the bread and dipped them in honey, Yami couldn't help but notice that the honey was particularly sweet today. However, he knew it wasn't because of any extra effort put in by his servants. The image of Yugi eating daintily and licking the excess honey off his slender fingers was what made everything taste especially tasty. Yami licked his lips.

Just last night, a skimpily dressed Yugi had visited his dreams, and the naughty minx had invited –no, begged- him to unclothe him. While Yami could no longer remember the details, he was sure that had been one of the most erotic experiences he had ever had. And when he forced his mind to recall just some of the juicier moments, all he remembered was a little sweet honey, a moaning Yugi, and a lot of fondling.

Pretty much like now, sans the fondling.

Yami wondered if Yugi knew what he was doing to him just by moaning at the taste of honey, or by closing his beautiful eyes and making those satisfied little sounds, or opening his amethyst pools to mere slits as he licked his fingers clean.

Maybe he did. Maybe Yugi was seducing him. It did seem plausible after a while, since Yugi had not stopped his actions for even a moment. And no one had ever rejected the pharaoh's warm bed and embrace. In fact, he had a whole harem falling at his feet, begging for that opportunity. So maybe Yugi was doing the same? Maybe Yugi wanted him as much as he wanted him? And maybe he was just waiting for Yami to take the first step.

His lust nearly overflowed at that thought, and it took all his self-control to rein in those treacherous emotions.

But Yugi was making it so, so hard to keep his hands to himself!

And the problem was if Yugi even wanted him to stay away?

Yami forced himself to look at the bread he was eating instead. For a moment, he tore pieces off with a ferocity that surprised even himself. As he sulked and tried to calm himself down lest Yugi got jumpy, he began to reconsider the situation.

Yugi feared nobility. No doubt there was a good reason behind it. A personal experience, perhaps. That was a likely explanation, since Yugi had lived on the streets before, and after so many stories and tales, Yami had little doubt as to how chaotic that was. Worse still, the chaos existed within the order that he, the pharaoh, put forth, and within the chaos where he had little power over, there was order. It was a type of order very different from what he was used to, however. Yami had long heard of his subjects whispering amongst themselves about how people got together and formed some sort of criminal gangs. There was even one gang, he heard, that specialized in kidnapping children and selling them off as slaves.

The court did as well as they could to prevent such heinous crimes, but there was a limit as to how much they could do.

Perhaps Yugi had been one of those whom he had failed to protect.

Perhaps he had been one of those smuggled children.

Perhaps he had been tortured, abused and starved by a cruel master.

Perhaps... perhaps Yugi had been one of the many children who had been sexually assaulted.

Yami's lips tightened and his muscles grew taut. Yugi must have suffered terribly in his childhood. And it was all his fault. He, the almighty pharaoh, had failed to protect his best friend and soon-to-be lover. That was such an unfathomable thought that his mind nearly went blank. Nearly.

As Yugi continued to devour the sweet bread, the pharaoh made his decision.

He would protect Yugi. In all ways possible, and regardless of what he had to do or overcome. And if it was impossible, he would make it possible.

Yugi would always be safe.

And he would be loved. Forever.

* * *

The morning court session was always a bore for Seto. It was the time when the palace guards tried to get some attention by showing off their recently polished swords when there was nothing to slice at except mosquitoes; when the less important subjects tried to make themselves seem important (and showing everyone their pompousness in the attempt); when the council members argued about petty trivialities; and when the other high priests talked about mundane stuff. Even the palace maids, whose sole purpose was to beautify the court and hopefully get the more desperate subjects so captivated that they would ogle and shut up, looked bored at this time of the day.

Worse still, it was also when the pharaoh would intimidate everyone and exercise his god almighty powers. In Seto's opinion, Atemu just enjoyed showing everyone just how much of a spoilt brat he was. Speaking of which, where was the brat?

He glanced outside. It was getting late already, and everyone was whispering almost excitedly at the pharaoh's absence. Every now and then, Shada, one of the high priests, would hush them and assured everyone that the pharaoh was surely on his way. But it was strange. Despite his temper, Atemu was seldom late for a court session. He either arrived on time or skipped it altogether, but he was never late. So that probably meant that Atemu was still lazing around in his bed, and perhaps had even coerced a servant into hand feeding him grapes. Again. He sure knew how to enjoy himself.

Seto's brow twitched.

Throwing a curt message that he was going to look for the pharaoh (or as he said it in his head, drag the lazy bum out of his bed), he stormed out of the court room. Vaguely, he heard someone asking a servant to follow him, but he waved it off. As he whizzed down one of the many corridors to Atemu's room, Seto smirked while he imagined the ways he could wake his cousin up.

There was no way he was going to let a servant spoil his fun.

* * *

Yugi followed meekly, a few steps behind Yami's billowing cape that seemed to be riding on his air of superiority and regality. Everyone seemed to felt it too, for they obediently stepped back and bowed respectfully as they walked by, some almost prostrating on the ground as they revered the arrival of the living god. But no one noticed him, almost like he was Yami's little shadow that was supposed to follow him around. Yugi's mood soured at that thought, but soon perked up again when the door loomed before them.

And then the gigantic gates creaked open, and all the splendor that was the court room greeted Yugi's eyes. It was almost too much to take in at one shot, and the young servant had to belatedly remind himself to close his jaws. It simply wouldn't do to have the pharaoh's personal servant looking like the proverbial frog in the well.

As he followed Yami to the elevated podium where the throne was, Yugi was painfully aware of how every pair of eyes seemed to shoot to him all of a sudden, and he kept his head low, cringing inwardly. He had a feeling court wasn't going to be fun at all. Even Seto's presence –which was for certain, he thought- wasn't helping. Quickly, he dodged behind Yami, trying to seem demure and meek while hoping that the lions of the court would not devour him. He felt slightly better though, when old Shimon, who was standing by the other side of the throne, gave him a warm smile.

They both looked to the court again when Yami threw his cape behind him forcefully, and took his seat on the throne.

He watched as Yami met their curious gazes steadily, and then held out a hand to silence the unspoken questions that was as clear as a cloudless sky. It was so apparent from their body language. Slowly, the high priests, the council members and the less important court members bowed deeply, going down onto their knees. As were the rules, those in lesser positions bowed the lowest, their noses almost touching the ground but not quite (that position was reserved for servants and guards). On the other hand, the high priests merely knelt in reverence, one hand crossing their torsos to touch the opposite shoulder with their heads dipped low.

"Long live the pharaoh! May Kemet prosper under his glorious rule!" they hailed in unison.

And Yugi watched in fascination when Yami answered them with a simple 'Rise!', and all of them quickly rose, though the lesser subjects were still looking at the ground. It was then that he noticed something wrong: someone wasn't there.

Seto.

He bit his lip.

Suddenly, he noticed a movement near the sides of the court and he glanced over. He was disappointed when it turned out to be a palace scribe (2) who, seemingly heavily burdened by a roll of papyrus scroll, was stepping forth to announce that court had started.

That seemed to be a magical phrase, and many took it to be their cue to speak up. One of the high priests stepped forward, and most of those behind him quickly scampered back into line to wait for their turns. However, even the high priest was not given the chance to say his piece before Yami stopped him with a hand.

"Before we discuss anything, I want to make an announcement," he said, his booming voice reverberating within the great halls and amplified by the utter lack of any noises from the court members. Before he continued, he shot the palace scribe a hard glance, who quickly nodded. The man readied his scroll and reed pen, carefully placing his scribal palette (3) on a table beside him.

"As most of you should know, my last personal servant was released some time ago for not doing his job as well as he should have. So now I have chosen someone to replace him," – he gestured for Yugi to step forward – "This is my new personal servant, Yugi. I want all of you to look at him well and remember his face, for I will not tolerate anyone mistreating him in any way. He is my shadow, and not obeying him is tantamount to disobeying me."

The palace scribe wrote everything down furiously, half-afraid of missing a word or two and angering the mighty pharaoh, and hence had no time to think about what he was actually writing. But it was a good thing too, for if he did manage to think through before he recorded the pharaoh's words, there was no doubt that he would drop all his writing materials in shock and disturb the tension in the air. And the tension was thick, contributed to by all the shocked, surprised, astonished, and even slightly scandalized faces of everyone in court. Even Shimon, one of the most elderly and experienced member of the court, appeared to be completely bewildered.

But no one was as shocked as Yugi himself.

"If I, by any chance, learn of anyone browbeating or bullying Yugi, I promise that there will be very, very severe consequences," he finished, placing great emphasis on the last bit of his sentence with a tone that frightened many.

The pharaoh seemed to drawl as he added, "If any of you have any objections, it would be good to raise them all right now. I will not accept any arguments after court."

Those who knew him especially well could hear the underlying message just as clearly: the pharaoh's word was law. There was no room for any objections. Period. And those who were less familiar with the pharaoh's temper were too intimidated to tremble, lest speak up.

For the longest moment, a thick and heavy veil of unease settled into everyone's heart, and some were afraid to even breathe lest they disturbed the tension. It was generally an unspoken rule not to hurt or harm the pharaoh's personal servants and slaves, especially those who were in favour with the ruler, and everyone knew that rule like the back of their hand the day they stepped into the palace. But to hear it spoken out loud -and by the pharaoh himself, no less- was unsettling to say the least.

Some of them wondered if the young child beside the pharaoh even knew if he had just made history.

* * *

After being directed back to the court room upon reaching Atemu's empty room, Seto suppressed a few choice words and hastened his pace. He hoped that court had not really started yet. Well, there were usually some idiots asking stupid questions at the beginning of the court sessions, so maybe he hadn't missed much yet. Still, he walked faster, hoping to get to the court room as soon as possible.

When he did, the guards stationed outside the grand door took one glimpse of the glower on his face and quickly opened the door. Inwardly, Seto congratulated himself on the glower he had perfected over the years on the job. It always got things done faster.

His satisfaction disappeared almost immediately when he entered, however. Instinctively, he knew something was wrong. The place was much too quiet and the subjects much too subdued to be normal. Those men were usually neck-deep in argument by that time, and the high priests would have to step in and mediate. And Atemu would just sit on his throne had watch the whole scene play out like it was some show. But now, everyone was quiet. It was so quiet that the only sound Seto could make out faintly was the slightly laboured breathes the older court members were making. Even then, he could tell that those men were trying their best to suppress the sounds. The tension in the air was thick; so thick that Seto could feel it weighing heavily on him even though he had just arrived. Narrowing his eyes, he looked up to the podium where he knew Atemu would be. That boy must have said something bizarre. Something so bizarre that bordered on frightening. Perhaps he had announced that he had decided to take another concubine. Or he was finally putting his harem to good use. That would certainly be shocking.

And it was indeed shocking, for when he looked up, he saw Yugi –his Yugi!- standing meekly beside his cousin.

In utter shock and disbelief, Seto made a beeline for his usual position and paid his respects, bowing his head and kneeling.

"Long live the pharaoh! May Kemet prosper under his glorious rule!" he said solemnly, hardly able to keep the shock away from his voice.

"Ah, please rise, Seto! I was just thinking where you had wandered off too..." Atemu replied casually.

He rose, almost doubling over at the rate his heart was going. A heady sensation had settled into his mind, and swirls of psychedelic colours and images swarmed his eyes. But he managed to shake those off and steadied himself at the last moment.

"Forgive me, your majesty. I went to your room to look for you when it was time for court and you weren't here yet."

"I see. Too bad for that. You just missed a most important announcement I made."

"Your majesty, may I be allowed to hear of it when you feel for it?" Gods, he hated the game he had to play with Atemu in the presence of others.

Atemu gestured for the scribe to answer in his stead, seemingly too excited –although he hid it well- to offer a proper reply.

"The son of Ra, the living incarnation of Horus and the almighty pharaoh has proclaimed the servant Yugi as his personal servant, and in the pharaoh's words, no one is to mistreat, browbeat or bully the servant as doing so is akin to mistreating the pharaoh himself," the scribe read from his roll of papyrus script, pulling it along and letting it fall onto the ground as he read. His voice was steady and strong, but Seto could still catch a hint of fear, and it was easy to understand: what Atemu had just done was unprecedented.

Feeling numb, he looked up, forgetting for the moment that no one was supposed to meet the pharaoh's gaze. And in his shock, everything seemed to be... different, like it was closing up on him. There was his cousin, smirking at his victory of snatching Yugi, his lover, away. Yugi was beside him, looking like he didn't mind the fact. And they were both smiling.

His lips trembled, his mouth opening and closing and then opening again. He wanted to say something, anything, but he could find no words.

His feet were unmoving, like they had grown roots and stuck firmly onto the ground. He wanted to run up to them and demand an explanation, but he could find no strength.

And then court proceeded as usual.

* * *

After court, most of which flew by his head like lazy flies, Seto had finally gathered up his strength and the first thing he wanted to do was to confront his cousin and his lover. Just what had transpired in his short trip to Atemu's bedroom?

He was about to march right up to Atemu's study room when someone held him back with a firm grip.

"It would be unwise to talk to his majesty with your current state of mind, Seto."

Seto looked back and narrowed his eyes.

"Let go, Mahaado."

The older high priest smiled faintly. Growing up with the royal family and having known Atemu and Seto since they were in diapers, he was long used to their tempers and he often doubled as their confidants. It was most interesting when he got any 'top secret information' that concerned the other from both parties.

"Seto, if you want to talk to his majesty about his decision, at least be calm first before you even approach him. Otherwise, you'd have no chance at convincing him at all. You, of all people, should know that."

Seto growled low in his throat, but forced himself to calm down. Mahaado was right; Atemu was one of the most stubborn people around, and it was difficult to change his mind. It would be an even more tedious task if he were to charge in there with a temper and half an argument.

But he said nothing. If there was one thing he hated, it was acknowledging he wasn't right.

Luckily, Mahaado knew that.

"Still, I wouldn't recommend you opposing his majesty's decision. He seemed very adamant about it, and he does need another personal servant anyway, although implying execution for mistreating the child seemed a little..." he trailed off with a shrug. Some things were better left unsaid. "But I can't imagine anyone mistreating the child, really. He's too cute for that. I know I'd feel extremely guilty if I did that." He smiled again, giving the younger one a look.

Mahaado was generally a very likeable person, and he took on the role of elder brother very well, always looking after him and Atemu when they were younger. But there were times when Seto felt he was carrying out his role far too well. Like right now.

"That child has gotten a good master, Seto. Don't ruin it for him," Mahaado said before he turned and walked away, leaving Seto alone to wonder just how much he knew.

-tbc-

(1) I made this up, though I did try to find proof. I just think that white hair would be extremely strange to people in ancient Egypt, since people were supposed to have black hair. Of course, Yami and Yugi's hair are even stranger, but hey, he's the pharaoh.

(2) A palace scribe is actually a priest whose job is to record stuff. I just threw one here just to record the proceedings during the court sessions.

(3) A scribal palette is "used to store reed pens (in an elongated depression) and to mix the red and black inks (in round wells) which the scribes used in writing out documents on papyrus." Explanation taken from (www.rom.on.ca/quiz/egypt/egytqz14.html)

**Authors note:** I know I told most of you who asked that you will find out about Seto's reactions in this chapter. However, seeing that I am getting increasingly busy, I thought that it would be better to post this chapter first, rather than drag it longer than I already have. So his confrontation with Yami will have to be in the next chapter. But I did add some of his shock here! So there/laughs/

Also, I haven't got the time to respond to everyone's reviews, but still a very big thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! If you enjoyed this chapter, please also review for this chapter and tell me how to improve on it! Thanx!


	5. Chapter V

Title: Tears of the Phoenix part 5

Author: Sorceress Fantasia

Pairings: S/Y, eventual YYxY, SxJ and maybe some others

Warnings: Angst, romance, sap, some OOC-ness, probably some historical incorrectness

Disclaimer: If my desire to own YGO were proportionate to the size of the world's deserts, there would have been at least two more Sahara Deserts. Since that has not happened, I must say that I do not own YGO or any of its characters.

Note: In this fic, Atemu goes by 2 names: Yugi calls him Yami, but the other characters know him as Atemu. Therefore, depending on the character who is talking/thinking, I will use the appropriate name.

* * *

Yugi thought Rebecca was going to faint. Or scream. Or try to wake up from a nightmare by slapping him. Quickly, he held up his hands to shield his face.

"I'm serious, Rebecca! Yami really is the pharaoh! And I'm his personal servant now!"

Her jaws dropped, and unwittingly, she took a step back. This time, the news seemed to finally sink into her head. Her hands flew to cover her mouth, and she wasn't looking at Yugi anymore. Instead, her gaze settled on a patch of dried grass, as though they were the ones who had given her the big news. Slowly, she started to utter a long string of 'oh my god', each louder than the last. Just when Yugi thought she was going to faint, Rebecca suddenly shrieked.

"Oh. My. God!"

Yugi couldn't help but jump, and he almost screamed when Rebecca suddenly clutched his hands in a death grip. She looked at him intensely.

"Yugi, don't do it! Tell his majesty that you don't want to do it! Tell him you want to come back!"

"But…" he frowned. "I don't want to come back. I want to be his personal servant! He's my friend!"

"I'm your friend too! Listen to me! It's dangerous there! It's not suitable for you! Don't you remember? I worked there before, when I first came to the palace. Then I offended someone there, but I got lucky and he only transferred me to the east wing. I know how it's like in the north wing! And you're not suitable for the life there!"

"Rebecca…"

"Trust me, Yugi! The north wing is dangerous!"

Yugi nodded. "I know it is."

She sighed in relief, smiling gently. "So come back! Come back to the east wing! All your friends are here!"

"I can't. Rebecca, I know it's dangerous there, but I want to be there. I want to try living and working there. And Yami is there." _And so is Seto. _"Yami is really nice, you know?"

This time, Rebecca sighed, not in relief but in frustration. Folding her arms in front of her chest, she rolled her eyes. "Yugi, the pharaoh is always nice. When he's happy, that is. All nobles are. But when they're mad…" –she snapped her fingers- "There goes your head. Just like that. No amount of excuses is going to save your life then."

She sighed again. "Yugi, I know I can't make you change your mind. But at least… will you ask the pharaoh to let me go to the north wing with you? At least I can look after you. And we can still be together."

Yugi frowned, biting his bottom lip. He had considered her suggestion earlier before he got Yami's permission to visit his friends at the east wing, and he had even asked Yami about it.

"I've asked Yami… and he said no. He said there're too many servants in the north wing and too few here in comparison. He can't keep transferring servants over and leave this place empty…" Yugi said softly, almost sheepishly. He had a sneaking feeling that if someone else had asked in his stead, maybe things would be easier. He remembered Yami's reaction when he mentioned Rebecca's name. Yami's eyebrows kept twitching and the corner of his lips kept trembling like it wanted to scowl but could not. And he kept giving off some bad vibes too. It was almost as though… as though… he were jealous. But Yugi wasn't going to tell anyone about that.

"Rebecca, I can't stay here for long. I promised Yami I'd be back for lunch. I had to promise him that before he allowed me to come back here. Maybe I'll try to ask him again next time?"

"That's all we can do now, isn't it?" The blonde girl scowled, knitting her eyebrows together. Then, she took a closer look at her friend and she pouted in annoyance. Why was Yugi dressed as he was? It didn't look anything like what a normal servant would wear, even if he was the pharaoh's personal servant. The clothes were much too beautiful and luxurious, something a servant would only soil while working. The possible answer that a voice whispered in her mind wasn't all that pleasing. "Well now, at least I don't have to worry about you getting executed. Deflowered, yes; executed, unlikely…" she muttered grudgingly under her breath.

"Did you say something, Rebecca?"

She quickly shook her head. "Nothing you need to know. But anyway, listen to me. Don't let the pharaoh do anything funny to you, okay?"

"Fu… Funny? What do you mean?" Yugi had a feeling he should have kept his mouth shut.

"I really don't think I should be teaching you this sort of things, but…" -she sighed- "If you see him leering at you, run. If you see him drooling over you, scream and run. If you see a big bed and you're alone with him in the room, find an excuse and run. If he tries to slip his hand under your clothes…"

"Rebecca!"

* * *

With Mahaado's advice in mind, Seto marched towards Atemu's study room, where he knew the young pharaoh would no doubt be working. Atemu always retreated to the study room after the morning court sessions. And he knew he was right when he heard loud, harsh voices coming out from the room, and the two guards at the door were looking nervously at each other.

Seto hardened his stare.

"Open the door. Now."

One of the guards looked terrified, but he stood his ground. "But your Excellency, his majesty said..."

"Open the door. Now!"

Already at the end of their wits by the argument coming from inside the study room, the guards almost whimpered at Seto's harsh command. They quickly opened the doors, and Seto waved them off, marching towards the source of the argument in a few strides. The door closed firmly behind him, but he had little care for it. The first thing he had to do was change Atemu's mind, no matter what he had to resort to.

When he saw Shimon, the pharaoh's elderly advisor, engaged in a loud conversation with his cousin, Seto smirked inwardly. At least he wasn't the only one brave enough to confront the high and mighty pharaoh.

"Your majesty! What you did at the court session was unbelievable! No one has ever done it before!"

Atemu looked bored. "Well then, I'm the first. I made history. Isn't that good? And now that I've done it, you can start believing it now, because it's real and I'm not going to change it." And then he noticed Seto's arrival in the corner of his eyes. "Ah, you're here, Seto. Help me talk some sense into Shimon. He seems to think that I just did something I shouldn't have, which is impossible, because I'm the pharaoh, and the pharaoh is never wrong."

Seto resisted the urge to rush up and strangle his haughty cousin. Vaguely, he wondered what sort of response Atemu would have if he just said that Yugi belonged to him, that Yugi was his lover. Would he burst a vein and die? Or would his anger boil over and order his execution? And maybe even Yugi's. Seto wasn't sure what the extent of Atemu's affection was, even though he was sure Atemu liked Yugi a lot. From his years of experience serving as the pharaoh's high priest, Seto knew that revealing the true nature of his and Yugi's relationship to the hard-headed king would not be the most intelligent to do. There was little doubt that Atemu would be angered to high heavens, and only the gods knew what the pharaoh would do. But it wouldn't be anything good, Seto supposed.

He noticed Shimon's heated gaze, willing for him to stand on his side. There was no need for that though, for there was no way in hell that Seto was going to encourage Atemu anyway.

"Your majesty, I'd have to agree with Shimon this time. It is highly unacceptable to bestow such high status to a mere servant, even if he is your personal servant. While this does not go against any of the court's laws, there are still the unspoken but well known social rules of the court. What you've done, your majesty, has made your personal servant higher in status than many of your courtiers and subjects, though unspoken it may be. This is an upheaval of age-old traditions!"

Atemu's eyes narrowed, and his lips pulsed. He had expected his cousin to help him, but Seto had actually spoken against him! While the positions of pharaoh and subject always disappeared when it was just the two of them, and Seto had said things far more offensive than what he was saying, Atemu could not remember being as irritated as he was right now. After all, Seto always stood on his side.

"What I have done, is to make Yugi protected and safe. He will not be bullied by anyone. Not when they have to answer to me!" he snarled, standing up from his seat forcefully. With a powerful throw, he swept his cape behind him, and as his cape settled down, Atemu was everything a pharaoh should be: dignified, powerful, and imposing.

Seto fumed inwardly, but calmed himself down. Mahaado was right: there was no way he would be able to persuade Atemu if he flared up too. Atemu was already acting the part of a spoiled brat, and if he blew up too, the whole confrontation would only escalate into something unsalvageable.

"Your majesty, what you've done has never happened before, and it is so for a reason: think of your high priests, your council, and your subjects. Think of what they will think. Of this, of the servant, and of you. They can only see you acting like an infatuated lover who cannot think straight, and led by a leash by your own personal servant!"

"Seto!" Shimon yelled, but it was too late. The words had been spoken.

Atemu's handsome face contorted in fury, and his knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists tighter.

"How dare you, Seto, to liken me to an animal on a leash! You may be the high priest, but I am your pharaoh, the one you have pledged to serve with your life and soul! Do not forget your position and mine!"

Seto knew the only thing that was keeping his head intact was the fact that he was Atemu's favourite cousin. If it had been anyone else, Atemu probably would have called the guards and dragged him off to be executed already. Still, he was only a thin line from being killed. He cursed his tongue. Quickly, he fell onto his knees and bowed.

"Your majesty, I did not mean to offend you. I apologize for saying those things I do not mean."

A tense moment passed. Finally, Atemu spoke.

"Well, continue with your argument. But do not think for a moment that I will change my mind. Yugi will be my personal servant, and he will enjoy the privileges I have bestowed upon him. I will, however, base my decision whether to punish you on what you say. Choose your words wisely, high priest."

Trembling inwardly from anger, Seto seethed silently. However, he wasn't angry with his cousin. Instead, he was angry with himself, for letting Yugi get out of his sights and meeting Atemu. How had they even met in the first place anyway? He had taken such precautions to make sure Yugi stayed safe in the east wing, the safest part of the palace, with little chores and a warm bed at night. Yet, Yugi had still met Atemu, and did not even tell him! And now Yugi had been made Atemu's personal servant, and if he read Atemu right, Yugi was going to become Atemu's lover in a matter of weeks, willingly or not!

There was no way Seto would let that happen. Yugi belonged to him and no one else.

Taking a deep breath, Seto continued.

"Your majesty, you claim that your actions will protect your personal servant. However, by elevating his status to such an extent, you are putting him in danger from jealous courtiers and subjects. Also, what would the servants think? Perhaps they will treat your personal servant with respect in front of you, but when you leave, they could turn their backs immediately, and your personal servant would only find himself alone in the palace with few true friends.

"Your majesty, while you can protect him from physical harm, there is little you can do to protect him psychologically. Would he be happy then, my pharaoh?"

It pained Seto to know that, if he did not want to blatantly lie, this was the extent of his powers over the pharaoh. If he did not to abuse his powers as a high priest and claim that the gods would be unhappy about Yugi's new status over the courtiers, this was all he could say. Reason. And if his reasoning did not change Atemu's mind, then that was it.

To his relief, Atemu did give it a thought. Would Yugi be bullied behind his back? And knowing Yugi's kind nature, it was highly unlikely that he would let Atemu know if anything of that sort did happen. However, protecting Yugi from physical harm was his first priority right now. Atemu knew from experience that his personal servants always faced some sort of jealousy issues from other servants; it was something that happened so frequently it was almost like part of the tradition for those working directly under him. If Yugi's psychological well-being does become an issue later, he would deal with it as the pharaoh. After all, he had given everyone ample warning during the court session already: harming Yugi was akin to harming him, the pharaoh. Surely, no one would take that risk. Harming the pharaoh was a crime punishable by death. And it wasn't a very clean death.

When Atemu's eyes fell on the panicking Shimon, he suddenly had an idea. Shimon was his advisor and also his mentor, and as such, the elderly man was nearly always following him around. It was only in the recent years that Shimon's age was catching to him and his legs couldn't take all that walking that he stopped going everywhere with him. So, maybe he could send a servant following Yugi everywhere too! After all, Yugi already had a servant doing his work for him, what's with having another servant to be his friend?

Decision made, he turned to face Seto again.

"I have my plans, Seto. Since I have taken Yugi to be my personal servant, it is my duty to protect him, and I will take these duties seriously. No harm shall come to Yugi. And I will make him happy."

"But your majesty…!"

"Enough Seto. I am the pharaoh, and I expect all to follow my words," Atemu said solemnly, slipping back into his seat. "You may raise now."

Seto willed himself to take another deep breath, trying to regain his composure. Things were definitely not looking up. Annoyed, he shot Shimon a quick glance.

The elderly advisor got the message, and he bowed low towards Atemu, an indication that he had something to say. When he received Atemu's gesture to go on, he began to speak.

"Your majesty, high priest Seto is right on several accounts. Your actions may provoke your courtiers into immense jealously, and if things worsen, they could attempt to revolt. And by conferring such high status on your personal servant, sire, it could also make life difficult for him among the other servants. I have a suggestion that might remedy the problem, your majesty."

Atemu raised an eyebrow, but he gestured for Shimon to continue.

Shimon bowed again, thanking the pharaoh for allowing him to speak. "Your majesty, there is one way that will allow your personal servant to enjoy the high status you have conferred upon him, allow him to make friends, and still uphold our kingdom's traditions. Only one position in court will fulfill all those conditions and also allow him to enjoy your generosity. The only problem here, is the extent of your… …affections towards the child." He peered at the young king.

"That is not a problem. Even though it's only been a few weeks, Yugi already knows me better than most of my subjects. And that has made me immensely happy."

"Well then, your majesty…"

Seto felt a coldness seeping into his skin, and he fought off the shivers. Surely, Shimon couldn't be saying what he was thinking, could he?

"…I beseech that you to make the child your concubine, sire."

Seto thought his heart had stopped beating. Almost immediately, before Shimon had even finished talking, Seto had already stepped forward and bowed. But before Atemu could grant him permission to speak, his words were already clamouring to get out of his mouth, just like fishes wriggling desperately in a fishermen's net.

"Your majesty! That is absolutely ridiculous! Like you said, you've known him for only a few weeks. Surely, that does not give you enough time to judge his character. And what is his background? Your majesty, the child is of unknown history and character. It is too dangerous to allow him to lie beside you at night!"

"I agree with high priest Seto, your majesty. Therefore, if you do wish to make the child your concubine, I am willing to do the necessary checks on his background," Shimon said.

"It is still not enough, Shimon!" Seto interjected harshly, fists clenched. At Shimon's half-stifled gasp, he forced himself to calm down. He was, after all, in the presence of the pharaoh, even if the pharaoh was his cousin. "Even if the child's background is acceptable, his breeding is definitely not. I'm sure he's just a commoner; otherwise, there is no reason for him to be working in the palace as a mere servant. And a commoner is too low in status to be your concubine, your majesty."

It hurt him to say such cruel words, but Seto forced them out of his mouth. In his eyes, Yugi was anything but a commoner. His beauty and kindness were so rare and precious, Yugi could not be just a commoner. He was his lover made in heaven, and placed on the earth to love him and for him to love. Wasn't his coincidental meeting with Yugi proof of that? It hurt him to admit the truth however, that Yugi had too little social ranking. In the real world of kings, high priests, courtiers and peasants, Yugi was only a peasant. And a high priest could not marry a peasant, much less Seto, who was not just a high priest but also the pharaoh's cousin.

And to fall in love with a servant, to want to marry a servant… At best, Seto could be stripped of his position and powers. At worst, he could be beheaded, along with Yugi.

So he could not tell Atemu the truth. He could tell his cousin that Yugi was his lover. No, their love was forbidden, despite whatever consolations and promises he had offered Yugi, Seto had no way of actually marrying Yugi. He only hoped that they could carry on their relationship for as long as he could before he found a solution. Seto hated the law. A noble could take a servant, any servant, to bed, but they could not marry a servant. And Seto refused to reduce Yugi to a bed slave.

But… Atemu had the power. If the pharaoh wanted, he would find a way to make Yugi his concubine. After all, he was the one who made the law, and he was law itself.

"His majesty could still take him into the harem. Most of the harem members are just commoners too, anyway…" Shimon muttered, just loud enough for the other two to hear.

"Enough, Seto, Shimon," Atemu gestured, flicking his wrist. "No matter his background and status, it is much too early to make Yugi my concubine. We are still getting to know each other. However, I will not change my mind about him. He will be my personal servant."

"But your majesty…!"

"Enough."

Sighing, Shimon bowed again and backed down. Seto only clenched his fists tighter.

* * *

When the doors to the study room finally slammed shut, Atemu sighed and slumped into his seat. If the old conservative Shimon was around, he would no doubt try to tell Atemu that a ruler could not slouch in his chair. A ruler must be dignified and elegant, he would say. But Shimon had just left the room, along with Seto, so there was nobody to lecture him. And there was still some time before Yugi would return, so in the meantime, Atemu could sit however he wanted. So if he decided to slouch, he would do slouch as much as he wanted to. The chair felt better when he slouched, especially after that intense conversation with his advisor and high priest.

It was such a tedious task just to get Yugi as his personal servant. But he was the pharaoh, and his word was law. If anyone tried to give Yugi problems, that person was going to find himself at the executioner's table faster than he could sneer Yugi's name.

Then again… -he creased in brow in thought- he could not dispute any of Seto or Shimon's concerns. Even a pharaoh's personal servant was never meant to have such power. There was little doubt that Yugi would be the topic of palace controversies, and maybe even the target of jealous servants and subjects.

Still, while Shimon's solution would solve those problems to an extent, it was a little early for that, wasn't it? Yugi, his concubine?

On second thoughts, it wasn't a bad idea, actually. And it was part of his ultimate goal. It was just a matter of when.

In the near future, preferably. Atemu couldn't wait to have Yugi in his bed, feeding him grapes and kissing him. And if Yugi wanted, they could even play with honey. Atemu shivered; after breakfast this morning and witnessing Yugi playing with honey, he was never going to look at the syrup the same way again. Vaguely, he wondered if honey would taste even sweeter if he licked it off Yugi's body.

As his concubine, Yugi could be by his side no matter he went too. But of course, Yugi would have to leave the room when Atemu was working. Otherwise, there was no guarantee that he would be able to stop himself from fantasizing about his little concubine sitting just across the table. He would never get any work done that way, especially when the things he could do with Yugi were much more interesting and fun than the mundane documents on his desk.

And the benefits! To always have someone to share his life with! And of course, his bed.

Concubine Yugi? It did sound good. But it'd have to wait until the court had accepted Yugi's new status. There was no point making things even more difficult for Yugi right now, to bear the brunt of the courtier's wagging tongues and his feelings for him.

Right, Atemu could wait. After all, no one would dare lay a finger on his property.

* * *

After bidding goodbye to Rebecca and promising to visit again soon, Yugi took a quick glance at the sun. He still had a bit of time left. Yami wasn't expecting him until lunch time, so he still had about an hour to wander around. It probably wouldn't be good to disturb Yami if he was working. Being the pharaoh was hard work.

So, where should he go? He had already walked about the entire east wing with Rebecca earlier, and he was unfamiliar with the other three wings so he would probably just get lost if he tried to wander those areas. Suddenly, an idea came his mind, and it was a place so obvious it made him felt stupid not to have thought of it earlier.

The royal garden in the east wing! That was his secret meeting place with Seto, and now that his lover knew he had been made the pharaoh's personal servant, he would probably want to talk to him.

What would Seto's response be like, he wondered? Would he be proud that Yugi had gotten a good job and a good master? At least, being the pharaoh's personal servant was much more interesting than doing menial chores in the east wing. Or would Seto be worried for him? After all, Seto did say that the north wing was a place of chaos, insincere flattery and backstabbing.

Just as Yugi was deep in thoughts, he heard a rustle and his head snapped up in full alertness, like an antelope that had sensed a predator in the river. But no crocodiles appeared from behind the bushes. It was Seto. Yugi's face broke into a smile and he quickly ran up to his lover.

"Seto!"

However, the brunette did not seem to be so happy to see him. In fact, he was like a crocodile half-submerged in the murky water, beady eyes scrutinizing its latest prey. And once Yugi got close enough, he snapped.

"Yugi, why are you the pharaoh's personal servant? How did you know him?"

Slightly taken aback, Yugi took a step back. "Se… Seto?"

Running a careless hand through his hair, Seto sighed harshly. "Yugi, do you understand what you've done? Can you even start to understand just how terrible the consequences can be?"

"I… I don't understand. I just wanted to go to the north wing, to be closer to you…"

"Yugi! How many times have I told you to stay in the east wing? How many times have I told you that the north wing is a dangerous place?"

"But Yami promised he'd protect me. He won't let anything happen to me!"

Seto narrowed his eyes. "Yami?"

"His majesty, the pharaoh. I… I met him in the east wing a few weeks ago. I didn't know he was the pharaoh then, and he introduced himself as Yami. I didn't think… things would turn out this way," Yugi muttered, looking down at his feet and playing with his fingers. "But Seto! You can't always protect me and keep me sheltered here! Won't you give me a chance to see what palace life is really like? If… If I'm not meant for it, maybe I can ask Yami to put me back in the east wing?"

"Put you back? Put you back here?" Seto laughed bitterly. "He would never do that. He would never let you go, now that he has you. Not even when I and Shimon can't stop him."

"But we're friends…" Yugi replied weakly, memories of Yami blowing into his ear and flirting with him fresh in his mind. He felt like a poor antelope that wanted to back away from the river for fear of the crocodile, but found itself too thirsty to leave.

"Friends," Seto echoed wryly, a cruel smirk on his handsome face. Oh, how he wanted to tell Yugi the things Atemu was probably planning to do with him. And then he'd see Yugi whimper and sob at his horrible future as the pharaoh's bedmate. But he resisted the urge to hurt Yugi, the way Yugi had hurt him with his brash decision. So instead, he merely said, "The pharaoh wants you far more than you think."

"No… he wouldn't. I mean, we're just friends… Just friends, and nothing more," Yugi repeated stubbornly, but he knew his voice was wavering. Then, he looked up at this lover again. "Are… are you angry with me, Seto?"

"Angry? How can I be angry with the pharaoh's personal servant whose status he has hinted to be higher than mine? Of course I'm not angry!"

"Seto… I… I didn't mean for this to happen. Yami just… he just asked me to stay and be his friend. I really didn't expect…"

The high priest put up a hand. "No, don't explain it to me. What for? What's the use?"

"Seto!"

"Please don't yell my name, the pharaoh's personal servant. His majesty would have my head if he were to think you are angry with me."

"Seto, please don't say that. I'm…" Yugi wanted to tell Seto he loved him, but the words would not come out. A fear that had never been there before, a fear of rejection, stopped him from confessing his love.

Seto cut him off harshly with a flail of his millennium rod. "What should I say then? That I'm ecstatic for you because you are becoming his majesty's most favoured subject? That I'm jumping for joy because you've gotten what you always wanted: a job in the north wing! And soon you'll be reduced to the same sniveling mess like the other servants?" The crocodile opened its jaws and bared its razor teeth.

Yugi gasped, and a feeling that he seldom felt welled up in him. Anger. "Seto, you're being unreasonable! I told you I didn't expect this!"

"Oh, so I am unreasonable now? Now that you're above me, I become unreasonable?"

"I never said that! Don't put words in my mouth!"

"You didn't? I was so sure I had heard you calling me unreasonable!"

"Well, you are unreasonable! But I've never so much as hinted that I'm above you!"

"Of course you didn't. You just expect me to know that and bow to your greatness, don't you? What am I supposed to call you now? Great personal servant to his majesty, the pharaoh Atemu?"

Time skidded to a halt as the words sank into Yugi's head. He had to bite his lips to keep himself from crying right there and then, but even then, his vision was blurring from the tears in his eyes. After a long, excruciatingly drawn out moment, he bit out, "Is that what you really think of me? Since that's what you think, then I'll do a good job for Yami! I'll be the best personal servant he's ever had, and I won't ever leave him! Never! At least he's good to me!"

Unable to take the pain anymore, he ignored Seto's harsh yells for him to stop and ran off. Despite having grown up in the palace, Seto had seldom walked around in the isolated and much ignored east wing before Yugi came, and so Yugi had a great advantage apart from his head start. Still, the advantages worked only if Seto actually chased after him.

It was such a big if. But there were no ifs about what happened to the antelope.

-tbc-

Update  
4th Jan: So I just found out what the exactly differences between 'Your Majesty', 'Your Highness' and 'Your Excellency' are, and have so made the neccessary changes.


	6. Chapter VI

Title: Tears of the Phoenix part 6

Author: Sorceress Fantasia

Pairings: S/Y, eventual YYxY, SxJ and maybe some others

Warnings: Angst, romance, sap, some OOC-ness, probably some historical incorrectness

Disclaimer: If my desire to own YGO were proportionate to the size of the world's deserts, there would have been at least two more Sahara Deserts. Since that has not happened, I must say that I do not own YGO or any of its characters.

Note: In this fic, Atemu goes by 2 names: Yugi calls him Yami, but the other characters know him as Atemu. Therefore, depending on who the character talking/thinking is, I will use the appropriate name.

* * *

Yugi had no idea how he made it to where he was. He had no idea where he was, either. He should have paid attention to where he was going, but he didn't. And now he was lost. The palace, someone should have told him, was much too big and too easy to get lost in.

He was learning it the hard way.

Yugi bit his lower lip, frowning. He looked around, hoping to find a friendly face, but there was none. Yugi didn't know a lot of people to begin with, and now that he wasn't even in the east wing, the situation seemed even more aggravating. Taking cautious steps, he tried to find somewhere he recognized. Still, there was none. And Yugi was getting tired already; the sun was blazing, the air was still, and he was in a place he had never seen before. It was time to ask for directions.

But the people in the area didn't seem like they liked strangers at all. Ever since Yugi had stepped into the area, he found himself the subject of intense scrutiny and even outright sneers and down-turned lips. There were arrogance, condescension, disdain and a whole lot of other emotions that Yugi could not read in their eyes. Looks could not kill, but they could make others feel insignificant and worthless. Yugi almost cringed but stopped himself in time, fully aware that he was like a sheep amongst a pack of wolves, and the slightest show of fear would result in him being torn from limb to limb.

Just who were these people? They couldn't be servants; if they were, they'd be working. Besides, they didn't dress like servants either. They were much too skimpily dressed they might as well have worn nothing at all.

Hesitantly, he walked up to a group of girls standing in the shade. Their harsh whispers and soft snickers ceased the moment they noticed Yugi getting closer, and they immediately stood closer as though in defense. Their disdain was becoming more apparent.

"Excuse me... could anyone tell me where I am?"

The girls laughed aloud then, their laughter amused and gloating. However, when they noticed Yugi's genuine confusion, they stopped, and instead, wore smirks that reminded Yugi of wolves ready to pounce.

"Don't try to be funny, boy. You know perfectly where you are. And it's not a place where you should be."

Another girl took a step forward, bending down to jab Yugi's forehead with a slender finger. "This is our territory. Newcomers shouldn't even be here."

"Newcomers?" Yugi echoed. "But I'm not new... I've been working in the palace for months…"

"Don't lie to us, boy," –the girl's gaze turned frosty- "You don't even know what you're doing. Get out now and go to where you've been assigned to. It'll take you a long time to get to where we are now. Don't you dare try to wriggle your way in when you're still so new."

Yugi was about to retort when he felt a hand on his shoulders and pulling him back. He looked behind his shoulders, blinking when he couldn't recognize the person. It was a young boy, perhaps a few years older than himself, with blonde hair and a pair of warm brown eyes. The boy was grinning toothily.

"Hey girls, don't be so hard on the kid. He just got lost, that's all. He's not part of the harem, really," he said. Then, he bent down to give Yugi a wink. "Right, kid?"

"Harem?" Yugi exclaimed, but any other thing he wanted to say was cut short when the other boy's hand slapped over his mouth.

The boy nodded sagely at the girls. "He's a new servant actually, but he probably lost his way. Ha, you know how big the palace is. Well, I'll just take him from here. Don't get mad over it, or you girl will get wrinkles, you know?"

Before the girls could stop him, the boy was already pulling Yugi away. It was like a show had ended, and the audiences went their own ways, and the girls dispersed. The two girls standing by a dark corner at the side, one of them tucking her red hair behind her ears, also turned around and shuffled back to her room when she noticed the boys were gone. The other girl followed obediently behind her.

But Yugi never noticed the two girls. Instead, he was concentrating on catching up with the other boy who was still pulling him along. "Hey! Where are you taking me?"

"Away from here, that's where. Don't you know you're in the west wing? And you were even wandering in the harem! Those girls probably thought you were a newcomer; that's why they were so nasty towards you," the boy said, still grabbing Yugi's arm and walking away quickly. "They think the more people there are in the harem, the smaller their chances of seeing the pharaoh. But to be honest, I don't think they're never gonna see his majesty at any rate. His majesty has never visited the harem since his coronation! And well, the girls are really scary. Not really their fault though, I guess. Desperation can make you do a lot of things. So now the harem has a system of ranking, and the ones who've been there longer know how it works. The new ones... well, they can only hope that the older ones don't try to hurt them.

"I hear that if a newcomer offends them, they'll use needles to poke every inch of her skin. It doesn't scar at all, and it doesn't bleed, so nobody can tell that the newcomer's been tortured. And while it doesn't kill, it hurts like hell!"

"Really?"

The boy nodded. "Really. You're just lucky I was passing by; my master made me return some books to the library in the west wing."

"How did you know I'm not a member of the harem? Not that I am, of course. Just being curious."

"You don't act like one. They're always trying to make themselves pretty and flirt around, and well... you look too innocent for that. And from the way you dress, you don't look like a harem member either. Ah, I think we're safe here. It's the edge of the north wing already and those girls can't leave the harem." He let go of Yugi's hand and turned around, grinning again. "By the way, my name's Jounouchi, but you can call me Jou for short. Everyone does it, cuz they think my name's hard to pronounce. And besides, we're servants; nobody really cares about our names. Don't think I caught your name..."

"Yugi."

"I've never met you before, and I've been working here for years! You new here?"

"Not really. I used to work in the east wing."

"Ah, that explains a lot. Nobody goes to the east wing unless they have business there," –Jou shrugged- "So you've been recently transferred over here? A lot of new servants in the north wing find themselves getting lost in the west wing one time or another."

"I just got transferred this morning. I'm working as the pharaoh's personal servant now."

Jou promptly did a double-take. "You're the new personal servant? It's you?"

Yugi blinked in confusion. "Yeah... anything wrong with that?"

"No, no! Nothing's wrong with that!" Jou quickly shook his head. "Just a little... shocked, I guess. I've heard about what happened in the court session this morning. The pharaoh must really like you to put you in such high regards. Now everybody's waiting to see you. They're curious about how you're like and what you look like."

"But why?"

"Yugi... oh, I can call you Yugi, can I?"

"Yes, of course you can."

"Right. So Yugi, his majesty seldom knows a servant's name, even if he's his personal servant. But now, his majesty not only knows you by name, he even said that hurting you is equivalent to hurting him! Do you know how serious this whole thing is?" By this time, Jou's eyes were already lighting up in excitement. "Yugi, you really did us servants proud! I think you've just totally given servant a whole different meaning!"

"I... I did?"

"Of course you did! But oh, you gotta be careful too. Some people might get jealous of you," Jou advised astutely, arms akimbo. "So now... just what were you doing in the west wing, anyway? Don't you need to be around his majesty?"

At the gentle reminder, Yugi gasped and looked skywards.

"Oh no, I'm late! I promised Yami I'd be back in time for lunch!" he exclaimed. "Jou, can you bring me to the dining room?"

"Sure can do! But ah... before I do that, you might wanna clean your face a bit. Those girls really scared you, huh?" Jou replied, gesturing to his cheeks.

Yugi quickly wiped his face with his fingers, and he groaned when he felt those sticky tear tracks. But his groan soon turned into a soft snort when he remembered his argument with Seto. It wasn't the first argument they had had, and it certainly wasn't going to be the last. And by now, Yugi was already familiar with the pattern. After their argument, they would both stomp off, and in a few hours or days (depending on when Seto was free), Seto would seek him out and apologize. So now, Yugi just had to wait. But in the meantime, he was going to make good on what he had said to Seto earlier, even though it had been a spiteful response. He was going to serve Yami well.

"It'll be okay. Just take me to the dining room, please?"

Jou gave him a long look, but finally gave up and shrugged.

* * *

Yami stared at the empty seat again. Where was Yugi? He was supposed to be back at least half-an-hour ago! For the umpteenth time, he cursed himself for giving in to Yugi and not let a guard follow him to the east wing. Yugi was still new to the north wing, and all servants always got lost when they came to the north wing for the first time. He wouldn't be surprised if Yugi was walking along the corridors and wondering which way to go.

Then, his over-active imagination kicked in. What if Yugi had fallen down and sprained his foot? Or what if Yugi had been stopped by some guards, lusting for his beauty?

The servants standing nearby the dining table nearly jumped when the young king slammed a fist down on the table in frustration. They were already wondering why the pharaoh insisted on waiting for someone before he would start eating; the chefs had stumbled in earlier in tears, afraid that the king was unhappy with their culinary skills. Now, the servants' curiosity was just being elevated by the pharaoh's strange behaviour.

Yami stood up, gesturing to the guards by the door. He was going to call his guards to search the palace for Yugi, and he was going to find his little one. It was then that someone knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" the guards asked.

"Yami? Are you inside?"

Smiling in relief, Yami nodded to the guards, and they quickly opened the door to reveal Yugi and Jou. Yugi was slightly startled when he noticed all the guards and servants staring at him, but when Jou gave him an encouraging nod, he entered the room. He had little to worry actually, for the moment he stepped inside, he was pulled into an embrace so tight and so suddenly he did not even hear the barely stifled gasps from the other servants.

"Yugi! What happened? Why are you so late?" Yami asked, giving Yugi a quick once-over.

"I... I got lost."

Yami's handsome face broke into a warm grin. "See? I told you to let a guard follow you. At least you wouldn't get lost." He was about to tease Yugi more when he noticed Yugi's overly watery eyes, and he let his thumb caress Yugi's cheek. It was dry, but there was the distinct feeling of dried tears. He narrowed his eyes.

"Were you crying, Yugi?" When Yugi tensed up, he knew he was right. "Tell me what happened."

Yugi shuffled his feet, averting Yami's hardened gaze. "It's nothing, really. I just lost my way... and got scared."

"Truth, Yugi."

"It's the truth. I just got scared," he mumbled worriedly. Even though he and Seto had not parted on good terms earlier, it wasn't a good idea to carp about it in front of the pharaoh. It could get Seto in trouble. "I'm sorry, Yami, for making you wait so long."

"It's alright. I'll get someone to bring you around the next time so you won't lose your way again," Yami said, in a tone far more gentle any of the servants could imagine. "I imagine you brought him back here, Jou?"

The blonde boy who was still standing by the door bowed. "Yes, your majesty. I was passing by the area."

"Is that so? Good job then. You may leave now."

Yugi frowned slightly, uncertain why was Yami being so distant towards the person who had just saved him. Despite the fact that Yami knew Jou name, Yami didn't act like they knew each other well. Against his better judgment, he called out to the retreating blonde, "Thank you, Jou! For helping me!"

Jou merely grinned widely in response, before he turned around and left the room. The guards closed the room quickly after that.

"Well then, let's have lunch now, shall we, little one?" Tugging gently on Yugi's arm, Yami led him to the dining table.

It was then that Yugi actually paid attention to the sumptuous spread, and the aroma assaulted his senses in delicious pain. There was so much food Yugi thought his eyes would pop out; if he had thought that breakfast that morning was a gourmet spread, then lunch was definitely a feast that he had only dreamed of and never thought possible. There was meat, cabbages and lots of other vegetables that he could not identify. And there was also dessert! Sweet wine cake! Yugi could just smell the fragrance of the wine.

"Yami? Are there any other people joining us for lunch?"

"No, it's just the two of us. Shimon wanted to stay with me, but I told him I wanted to have some private time with you. So he's off having lunch with the high priests, I imagine," Yami replied as they passed by one of the only two chairs at the table.

"Erm, Yami? We just passed by the chair."

"It's alright. We're not going to use it anyway." Yami slipped into his seat at the head of the table, and he patted his laps. "Come here, Yugi."

Yugi blushed, obviously startled.

As though sensing his discomfort, Yami patted his laps again. "Come here, Yugi. It's alright."

After another moment of hesitation, Yugi decided to take the plunge and climbed onto Yami's laps. He tried to calm himself down as he felt Yami's warm chest behind him, but it was a little difficult when he could hear Rebecca's warning words swarming in his mind. He nearly whimpered. And he did yelp when Yami shifted his position, lying Yugi across his laps instead.

"Heh heh... Yami, it's difficult to eat like this. I mean, I'm not even facing the table..." Yugi murmured with a deep blush, laughing nervously. His blush turned bright scarlet when Yami's arm wrapped around his shoulders and pull him closer. Yugi could just hear Yami's heartbeat under his ear.

"I want to see your face when I eat. And you don't need to face the table to eat. I'll feed you."

Yugi choked. Suddenly, it seemed that Rebecca wasn't just scaring him after all. Vaguely, he wondered if it was possible to make good on her advice and just run for cover now.

Yami just chuckled heartily, and reached out to grab a meat kebab. He pulled off a piece of the meat with his hands and held it to Yugi's lips, who wavered for a while before opening his mouth and allowing Yami to feed him. Yami grinned, and tore off a piece for himself.

"Wow... I've never eaten this before. What is it?" Yugi asked in awe, feeling the juiciness of the meat flowing into his mouth, tantalizing his taste buds.

"It's just beef (1). Do you like it?"

"Hmm. It's very nice."

"Have more then," Yami replied, pushing another piece of meat to Yugi's lips. "And now it's my turn. We should be fair, shouldn't we? So since I'm feeding you, you should feed me too." He passed the kebab to Yugi.

Blushing again, Yugi ripped off a bit of meat and held it to Yami's lips. He nearly yelped when Yami grabbed onto his hand, and took both the meat and his fingers into his mouth. He felt his breath stop when he felt Yami's tongue licking and sucking on his fingers. His eyelids fluttered and he desperately tried to breathe through the rampaging emotions, his fingers caught in a warm, wet caress. When Yami released them, he only looked at his hand hanging limply, too surprised to even grab his hand back.

"More Yugi. I want more."

Yugi followed the orders mutely, unthinkingly, and did not gasp when Yami licked his fingers again. But while he did not, the other servants in the room had to forcefully stifle their gasps. As far as they could remember, the boy in the pharaoh's laps was the latest personal servant to his majesty. He wasn't his majesty's newest concubine, was he?

"It's good, Yugi. Better than usual," Yami said with a slight leer to his voice, and Yugi couldn't be sure if he was talking about the food or something else entirely. "Come, have some more."

Yugi opened his mouth again, and accepted the food daintily, but mostly in shock. He absently wondered if lunch was always going to be like this from now on.

Yami just grinned wider. Lunch was going to be so much fun from now on. He would have to order the chefs to prepare more bite-sized finger-food though. And he would also have to remember to order them to prepare a sumptuous and sweet dessert for supper tonight.

* * *

Somewhere else in the palace, high priest Seto was stomping around and wrecking havoc on the servants' mental well-being. Most of them just ducked for cover when they saw him coming. Others, those less experienced with the high priest's temper, were pulled into cover by their friends, all the while wondering just what natural disaster had struck.

Seto was still huffing over his argument with Yugi. But he wasn't angry with his little lover. Not anymore, at least. Instead, Seto found himself mentally berating himself for being so... unreasonable. It wasn't Yugi's fault, and he knew it. It was all Atemu's fault! When had that brat turned into a lover-snatching idiot anyway? He should have pushed a concubine, any concubine, into Atemu's bedroom earlier! Maybe then, Atemu would not even have thought of bedding Yugi!

He gritted his teeth.

"Seto?"

He blinked, and turned around to see two girls strolling towards him. Recognizing them immediately, he bowed. "Your highness."

The first girl rolled her eyes. "Oh Seto, enough of the 'your highness' crap. Nobody does it, and you shouldn't have to either."

"Princess Kisara."

She smiled, tucking a stray lock of her red hair behind her ear. "Now that's better. But you can knock off the 'princess' too. So..." –she cocked her head- "What are you doing here? It's been a long time since we've met. You don't come around here anymore."

"Ah, I've been busy with work."

"And Atemu, I suppose? My brother can be so troublesome sometimes." Kisara giggled, ignoring the fact that if anyone else had been around, she could have gotten into trouble for openly criticizing the pharaoh, even if she was the pharaoh's younger sister.

Seto brushed it off as well. Kisara was already living as pitiful an existence as she was; there was no need to make things worse for her. He smiled softly instead, partially to set her at ease, and partially because what she had just said was so true. Atemu always gave him headaches.

"I've already heard about it, about what happened this morning. Everyone's been talking about it, actually. Did Atemu really tell the court that they can't hurt his new personal servant? Oh, what else did the rumours say, Shizuka?" she asked, turning to face the girl behind her.

Shizuka bowed obediently. "They said that hurting the servant is tantamount to hurting him, your highness."

"Ah yes, yes. That's what we heard," Kisara piped, turning back to face Seto. "So is all that true? Did Atemu really do all that? Oh you know how the grapevine works. Every time a rumour passes from one person to another, it always gets exaggerated. I've no idea how much to believe now." She made a face.

Seto smiled again. Kisara was such a child, even though she was barely a year younger than himself. But it was a miracle that she was still so optimistic after her terrible childhood. Born a princess and half-sister to the then crown prince, Kisara should have been able to enjoy the privileges of being royalty, but she did not. And the only reason was her hair. Seto tried to keep his eyes off the girl's flaming red hair, but found it difficult to do so.

"Seto?"

Her crisp voice broke him out of his self-induced trance, and he quickly regained his composure. "Ah yes, Atemu did do all that. Shimon and I tried to advise him against it, but it didn't work out. He's adamant about having Yugi as his personal servant."

She blinked. "Yugi? Is that the servant's name?"

He berated himself inwardly for not paying more attention to what he was saying and letting it slip. What would Kisara think, that a high priest would know a servant's name? Quickly, he added, "Yes, Atemu wouldn't call him anything but his name. I suppose I... got a bit too caught up in the situation."

"I guess that's understandable. It's really easy to get worked up when you're arguing with Atemu. He's just so stubborn and hard-headed! I can never change his mind..." She pouted. "But really, I wonder what's going to happen to the servant? Erm, you said his name was Yugi? I mean, being the pharaoh's personal servant is always a dangerous task. If anything goes wrong with the pharaoh's stuff, they're always the first to be blamed. Talking about that... did something happen to Atemu's previous personal servant?"

"He got a demotion of sorts. Yugi isn't really Atemu's personal servant; rather, he's supposed keep Atemu company. The person doing the job is still the previous personal servant."

"Ah, the poor child. He still can't escape Atemu's clutches," Kisara teased. "Ah, what's his name, Shizuka? You servants should know each other's names, right?"

Shizuka nodded. "Yes, your highness. His name is Ryou."

"That's his name. Ryou, that's right..." Kisara nodded sagely, getting a chuckle from Seto for all her bravado. "But anyway, we're talking about Yugi! Now he's a poor child. Having to submit to Atemu's every whim and desire..."

Seto clenched his fists.

"And life's not going to be easy for him from now on. The other servants won't be happy with him. Especially that Ryou. I mean, Yugi did snatch his job away from him and all. And Atemu never pays attention to these small details. It's really strange. Atemu can see the slightest flaw in a political move, but he can't see what his personal servant has to go through sometimes."

Seto knew she couldn't be anymore correct. Despite Atemu's assurances that he would protect Yugi, it wasn't enough. He had to help Yugi too. And the best way, he supposed, was to let a person he trusted get close to Yugi and protect him on his behalf. Who would it be, though? Seto did not trust a lot of people in the palace, and those he did trust were mostly too high in status to follow Yugi around. Then, an idea came to him and he grinned inwardly. Who better to tail the pharaoh's personal servant than the high priest's personal servant? He would have to talk to the mutt tonight then.

But when he really thought about it, Jou was part of his problems. Despite being an efficient and hardworking personal servant, Jou was also the reason why he could not appoint Yugi to be his personal servant. Jou had been a slave given to him by Atemu a long time ago, before Yugi even came into the picture, and there was absolutely no way to reject a pharaoh's gift.

Still, he could trust the blonde boy. And Yugi should enjoy his company.

"Atemu should really try to help him. Why, I was just passing by the harem this morning – oh, the area's a good place for a stroll, you know?- and I saw this group of harem girls bullying a new servant. The things jealousy does to people... but you know? The new servant kinda reminded me of Atemu. They've got the same hair and all..."

Seto stifled his gasp. It had only been a few hours since the announcement, and Yugi was already being bullied?

"But anyway, Jou was there and he helped the poor child out. Good thing he did. Otherwise, I'd have no idea how to tell those girls off! You know, nobody really listens to me. Everybody in the palace knows I haven't got any power." She shrugged.

"Atemu will do something about it, I guess," he told Kisara, his tone ringing with finality. That was a signal for the end of the topic of conversation, and Kisara easily got that.

So she pointed to her hair and smiled. "See my hair? Shizuka got me some new henna (2) and helped me dye it just this morning. Isn't it shiny?"

"It does look good on you." _Better than your original hair colour. _"Good job on this, Shizuka."

The servant girl bowed gratefully.

"I'd like to stay here and talk with you, Kisara, but I can't. I've got work to do now."

"I understand. But if you ever walk by the west wing again, come visit me alright? It gets really boring here," Kisara mumbled. "I'm the only royalty staying the west wing. Everyone else's in the north wing. And Atemu won't let me move there either. So make sure you visit me, okay?"

Seto nodded. "I promise. I shall take my leave from you now, your highness."

Kisara's eyebrow twitched at the title, but she let it slide and waved it off. With a soft sigh, she turned around and headed for her room again, Shizuka following behind her dutifully.

As the princess walked off, Seto couldn't help but sympathize with her. Born a princess, but living as a servant, or maybe even worse. There was nothing worse than being ignored and forsaken. But Kisara could only blame her white, almost silver hair, and blue eyes, a rarity in Kemet where most people had dark hair and brown eyes. People like Jou and Shizuka, who had been born with blonde and red hair respectively, were slaves brought in from other countries. But Kisara was a child of Kemet through and through, and her white hair and blue eyes were all unnatural.

She was forsaken the moment her father, the late pharaoh, saw her for the first time. If she had been anyone but a princess, Kisara would have been killed a long time ago. As it was, she was kept in a secure wing of the palace, away from her family and given only one servant to accompany her. It was no different from house arrest, Seto supposed, but it was for her own safety as well as keeping her a secret. Few servants gave her the respect a princess deserved.

Seto sighed as she rounded a corner and disappeared, and he walked back to the north wing. He had to find Atemu first, to present his suggestion and help protect Yugi. Then, he would have to find Jou and give him the orders. And then, he had to find Yugi and apologize.

He looked up to the sky and watched the position of the sun as much as he could without hurting his eyes. At this time of the day, Atemu was probably in the royal dining room having lunch, and being his personal servant, Yugi would be around too. He would have to pull Atemu out of lunch to talk to him then.

Rolling his eyes and groaning, Seto started for the dining room. It was going to be a busy day. He had work to do, a servant to talk to... and a lover to please. How did life become so troublesome anyway?

* * *

Back in the dining room, lunch was still an erotic affair, with Yami and Yugi still feeding each other and licking the other's fingers. Granted, Yugi was still blushing like there was tomorrow and hesitant in his actions, but Yami did not seem to notice that. If he did, he was inwardly rejoicing at the adorable expression and blush as he continued to lick and suck on Yugi's fingers.

Yami stole a glance at the table. They had finished most of the food, but there was still enough food to feed a small family. Waving for a servant to come closer, he ordered them to clean up the table. The servants gave each other a happy look; they would have a feast that day. But when they tried to take away the desserts and the small jar of honey, Yami stopped them, and they quickly beat a hasty retreat.

"Yugi, would you like some wine cakes? I had the chefs make them especially for you. I figured you would like some pastries," he said, already picking one up and tearing off a bit of the cake.

"Yami, where does all the food go? I mean, you can't just throw them away, can you? It's such a waste..." Yugi said hesitantly. He remembered wishing for all that food when he was living on the street, and those memories seemed so fresh in his mind.

Yami chuckled, and leaned closer to Yugi's ear, blowing softly. "I always tell the servants to clean up the table, and never to throw away the food. You know why? That way, they can sneak the food to the kitchens for supper later and it wouldn't be against my orders. Of course, they don't know that I know all that." He straightened, and offered the cake to Yugi. "Now, have some of this. I think you'll like it very much."

This time, Yugi acquiesced. So all that food weren't wasted like in those rich families back then; the street kids always loved to dig their rubbish for a good meal, but their servants would always chase the kids away. It felt better to know that Yami wasn't anything like those rich jerks.

He opened his mouth and allowed Yami to push the little chuck in. When Yami's fingers did not back away, Yugi gave them a few tentative licks, and Yami grinned like a cat that had just polished off a plate of cream.

"Like it?"

"Yes, this is very nice too... Soft and delicious."

Yami smiled. "Well then, you'll get to eat them as much as you like. Just tell the chefs to prepare it for you."

Yugi's eyes sparkled. "Really?"

"Really. I promise you'll get to eat anything you like from now on. But," he paused dramatically, "on one condition. You have to feed me too."

"Sounds fair," Yugi replied, and suppressing his blush as much as he could, he took the wine cake from Yami's hands and tore off a chuck. Pressing it against Yami's lips, he forced himself to stop squeaking from Yami took his fingers into his mouth again. Actually, it wasn't too bad. It was just licking. He could handle it.

Just then, the doors to the dining room swung open, and a figure marched in despite the guards trying to stop him.

"Your majesty, you've wasted enough tim-" Whatever words Seto wanted to say were cut short at the sight of Yugi sitting in the pharaoh's laps and Yugi feeding him.

Yami just shot him an irritated look. "Seto, can't you see I'm having lunch now? If it's nothing important, let me have my lunch in peace. And before you start, no, I don't consider those blasted documents on my desk as important enough. I've been working hard the last few days; I think I'm entitled to having a long lunch for once."

The high priest remained speechless and blinking, his face paling. His eyes landed on Yugi, and when his young lover frowned at him, Seto choked. But that choke seemed to help him regain his composure, and he quickly bowed. "Your majesty, I..."

"Nope, I don't want to listen to you now. Seto, go to my study room later if there's anything important. And unless the sky is falling, don't interrupt me again. Now go."

Seto was aware of a dismissal when he heard one, and despite how unwilling he was to leave Yugi in the laps of a lecher, he had to follow his pharaoh's orders. He marched out quickly, if not unwillingly. And the doors closed behind him.

"Now," Yami cooed, turning back to Yugi, "where were we?"

Yugi quickly turned his attention back to the pharaoh, but inwardly, he was still burning a hole in the door. More specifically, he was glaring daggers at the person who had just left, the very same person who had roared at him just an hour ago. Seto was so temperamental. And if Yugi did not show him just how adorable and well-liked he was, Seto would probably never understand. Decision made, he saw his first opportunity and scooted closer.

He tore off a small chuck of the cake, stuffed it into Yami's fingers, and led his hand to his mouth. When Yami's fingers were barely a breath's distance away, he murmured, "Somewhere here." And he leaned forward to take the cake with his teeth. It was a very small piece, as he had made it so, and once he had swallowed it, he gave Yami's fingers a teasing lick. And another. And another. Then, when he saw Yami's wide-eyed but pleased expression, he ran his tongue across the underside of every finger before gently sucking on them.

It was an understatement to say that Yami was very, very pleased. In one swift move, he shifted Yugi's position again, lowering him and letting their faces get closer. Now that they had finished the cake, it was time for some grapes. Picking one from the table, he placed it carefully into Yugi's lips.

"Don't bite down on it, Yugi. It's your turn to feed me," he purred roguishly. It was a sound that sent bolts of tingles down Yugi's spine.

Then, Yami leaned to and took his lips, grape and all. With an experienced swipe, he moved the fruit into his own mouth and carefully bit down on it, but keeping his lips on Yugi's. But it was too difficult to do both things at once. At least, he wanted his first real kiss with Yugi to be a truly satisfying one. So Yami backed away a little, quickly swallowed the grape, and leaned back in. This time, there was nothing between them.

The kiss was slow and lazy. Yami took his time to explore every creek and crevice, like an ardent explorer who had just found virgin land. The exploration had to be slow, meticulous, thorough, and he would leave no stones unturned. After all, he had all the time in the world. Then, the kiss turned rough and hard. It was as though Yami could not get close enough, could not kiss Yugi enough.

All the while, Yugi was feeling like a limb rag doll in the pharaoh's embrace. He had never been kissed, and had never imagined that his first kiss would be with the pharaoh. It actually didn't feel too bad. If he was to be honest, in fact, Yugi thought the kiss was giving him strange sensations. Bubbles were popping up in his stomach, wings fluttering in his chest, spasms zapping in his thighs, and fire blazing a trail in his throat. Unwittingly, he moaned, prompting Yami to deepen the kiss.

When the kiss finally ended, Yugi thought he was going to pass out, but Yami was still gazing longingly at his pink and slightly swollen lips.

Yami got an idea. He dipped a finger into the jar of honey nearby, and sensually smeared it over Yugi's lips. Before Yugi could even register the sweet taste, Yami had already dived in again, licking, sucking and nibbling. The pharaoh moaned deep in his throat, the sound sending tremors down to his groin. It was just as sweet as he had imagined, or even sweeter. Yugi and honey was definitely a winning combination. He smeared honey onto Yugi's lips again. Nothing was sweeter, tastier or more delectable than this treat, Yami thought.

Yugi could only feel his lips getting ravished thoroughly, and his mind was going blank. The spasms were shooting down his spine, awakening every vein, every nerve, every cell in his body. And it felt so good...

"Kiss me back, Yugi. Kiss me."

Yami's whisper was distant, but he heard it, and felt it reverberating throughout his body. Unthinkingly, he opened his mouth and coaxed Yami into kissing him deeper. Their tongues danced and dueled. There was no feeling better than this.

Finally, after a long while, it was over. Yami wrapped an arm over Yugi and pulled him closer, letting Yugi's head rest on his chest. The little one was catching his breath. Yami ran a clean hand down his exposed arm, feeling the soft complexion under his fingers. Beautiful. Perfect. Flawless. Just the way he loved it. And Yugi's lips were such a luscious treat too. Yami licked his lips unconsciously at the memory of their kisses.

If he had been uncertain before, he was sure now: Yugi was in love with him. And Yami was going to make sure that Yugi fell for him even harder.

Marking his success today on his progress chart, he knew it was time. He was going to move on to the next phase of his secret mission named 'Make Yugi My Lover'.

-tbc-

(1) Beef: In Kemet, meat was considered very expensive, so only the rich could afford to eat it for every meal. Beef is expensive because the arid land made grazing land scarce, and so it was very difficult to rear cows.

(2) Henna: People in Kemet used henna to dye their hair, as well as their nails and lips, red. According to scientific studies, they used henna to conceal their gray hair back then.

**A/N**: Maybe I'm just being defensive here, but well... please don't think any less of Yugi for what he's done. He's still young and vulnerable to his emotions. Besides, Atemu is pretty hot too. /sniggers/

Anyway, C&C please! More reviews probably means faster updates and better chapters. Of course, constructive criticism is very much appreciated. While I probably still have a long way to go, I'll write a YY/Y or K/J one-shot for the person with the 100th review. Details will be released when we get closer to the number, but well... just announcing it earlier.


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